Last summer's N.C. wildfire officially declared out

The big North Carolina wildfire that sent smoke into Hampton Roads last summer was only officially declared out this week.

The fire management officer at Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife Refuge in northeast North Carolina declared the fire out on Monday, according to a news release issued Friday.

A hot spot had been burning just two weeks earlier.

The wildfire, along with one that burned in the Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge, created smoke in Hampton Roads throughout much of the summer. Smoke from the North Carolina fire at one point reached as far as Charlotte, the new release said.

The North Carolina fire was started by lightning on June 1. It burned 40,704 acres. Sixty percent of that was on the refuge and the rest was on state or private land, the news release said.

No homes were destroyed and no serious injuries occurred. Firefighting efforts cost nearly $20 million.

The Great Dismal Swamp fire, sparked by logging equipment on June 9, was responsible for burning 4,884 acres. Firefighting efforts exceeded $11 million.