HYDE COUNTY — The Whipping Creek Fire reached 100-percent containment as of April 30, according to officials.

Complete containment means the fire perimeter is cold, and the fire is expected to stay within that perimeter until it completely goes out.

The fire covered a total of 15,453 acres, and of that total, about 50 percent was on the Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge, a press release stated. Forty-five percent (6,940 acres) was on state- and privately owned land under the jurisdiction of the North Carolina Forest Service, with the remaining 821 acres on the United States Navy’s Dare Bombing Range, according to the release.

Fire crews were demobilized as of Saturday.

“The Whipping Creek Road Fire will be delegated back to the home units for monitoring. Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge staff will be responsible for any activity on refuge land; the North Carolina Forest Service will be responsible for any activity off-refuge land,” the release stated.

“The firefighters have mostly gone home,” said Brian Haines, public information officer for N.C. Forest Service.

Haines said crews will now do some restoration work to correct any damage done during firefighting operations, but beyond that, any further action will be handled by the individual landowners.

“It’s going to really be up to the landowners as to what they are going to do,” he said. “A lot of them will probably let it regrow naturally.”

The Whipping Creek Fire began in mid-April along U.S. Highway 264 near the Hyde-Dare county line, due to a mowing operation that likely created sparks. It grew rapidly several weeks ago, but crews worked every day, participating in night burnout operations and water drops, as well.

Despite this, nearby communities were under no direct threat, as most of the burning occurred on forestland.

Local crews will continue to monitor the fire for any changes, but the blaze is expected to stay within the perimeter and burn out on its own.

Haines said crews were fortunate to have a high water table, or a high water level in the soil, which stifled the spread of ground fire.

“We don’t expect it to go anywhere,” Haines said. “Had the water table been lower, you might have been concerned. … That’s been sort of a blessing in disguise.”