MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. -- Motorists traveling along U.S. Highway 17 in the vicinity of Verona Loop Road Wednesday evening and Thursday morning are urged to exercise extreme caution due to expected low visibility caused by smoke emanating from a wildfire in a remote woodland area on Camp Lejeune.
Forecasted wind conditions this evening will likely push smoke across U.S. Highway 17. Base officials are warning the public that the effects of the smoke combined with the early morning fog may potentially have an impact upon visibility during this time and to slow down. We expect the worst smoke conditions to occur between 2 and 7 a.m. tomorrow morning, May 20th, between N.C.-210 (Dixon) and the Verona Loop Road on U.S. Highway 17. With light SE winds, we expect smoke to blanket the Verona/High Hill Road Community in addition to U.S. Highway 17.
PLEASE NOTE: Verona Loop Road between US-17 and Old Wilmington Hwy (NC-250) is closed until further notice to allow fire mitigation efforts to continue.
The wildfire is still completely contained within the installation at this time and positive mitigation methods are ongoing. Teams on the ground will be monitoring the fire throughout the evening.