Dunn Fire burns near wooden pallet company in Sampson County

DUNN, N.C. (WNCN) – It could be days before a massive fire at a Sampson County wooden pallet company stops burning.

Dozens of firefighters from six counties responded to flames outside Discount Pallet Service on Ira B. Tart Road just after 4 p.m. Tuesday. The fire burned nearly 15 acres, including trees in a nearby wooded area. Plain View firefighters arrived first on scene and found numerous wooden pallets stacked 15 to 20 feet high on fire.

“The wind was blowing on it. He started pushing it toward the tree line,” said Deputy Chief Brian Lupo of the Plain View Fire Department.

He said hot weather, dry ground and wind made the fire difficult to fight. Firefighters focused solely on controlling the flames and keeping them away from neighboring buildings and homes. The chief said it was also difficult to get enough water from area fire hydrants to spray the massive fire. This forced fire trucks to use alternative water sources, such as farm ponds.

“Once you start drawing huge amounts of water and we're talking tens of thousands of gallons at a time in a matter of minutes, it overloads the system,” Lupo said.

Firefighters have no idea how the fire started.

“No eyewitnesses or anything that I know of can shed any light on this,” the deputy chief said.

However, investigators said there have been at least three fires at Discount Pallet Service in recent years.

“We want to sit down and have an after-action meeting. We want to discuss how we can improve things. Is there anything we can do? What can we do? Should we just go sit there and have a fire education moment and talk to them and say, 'Hey, maybe these things will help,'” Chief Lupo said.

CBS 17 has contacted Discount Pallet Service for comment. Company representatives told our reporter that the company had nothing to do with the fire and asked our reporter to leave their property.

The Plain View Fire Department is monitoring hot spots until the fire is completely extinguished. The chief said it could be a week or more before it is completely destroyed.

Chief Lupo said he is grateful to all the fire departments, law enforcement and residents who provided services and food as they battled the fire for nearly eight hours .