In these drought conditions, fires are breaking out across the area, many on farms and in open fields.

In Broadway, about seven acres burned while a farmer was working his land along U.S. 421, according to the North Carolina Forestry Service.

“My God… go, go, go,” said one man who witnessed the flames spread. 

Officials say the fire spread quickly through dry hay. The landowner told WRAL he was working the field when, in an instant, a spark from his equipment ignited the dry land.

It’s a pattern showing up across the region. Just two weeks ago in Cumberland County, a farmer described a nearly identical scenario under similar dry conditions.

“We were baling wheat straw and the hay baler caught on fire… the dry straw just took off burning,” said Joe Gillis, Cumberland County farmer. 

First responders with Boone Trail Emergency Services say extreme drought is fueling these fast-moving fires. Several experts in North Carolina said the state is experiencing “historic levels of dryness.”

Much of western North Carolina and the mid-part of the state, from Raleigh north, are in “extreme drought,” or the second-highest/worst level. In an extreme drought, major crop and pasture losses are expected, reservoirs and wells are at very low levels and many municipalities limit water use.

Since a statewide burn ban was implemented on March 28, the N.C. Forest Service reports 971 fires across the state that have burned 2,870 acres. Only five of the blazes are being blamed on natural ignition or lightning. 

The US Department of Agriculture says one key way to reduce risk is to maintain it properly. Regularly clean and closely monitor farm equipment to prevent sparks.

In these dry conditions, it only takes one spark to destroy an entire field.

A $2 Powerball ticket turned into a life-changing investment for Richard Kee Jr.

Kee tried his luck on the ticket in January and won the $209.3 million jackpot prize, the second-largest prize won in North Carolina history.

Kee, who lives in Roanoke Rapids, bought the winning ticket from West 10th Mart on West 10th Street in Roanoke Rapids.

Kee chose to remain anonymous for 90 days. North Carolina law dictates a lottery winner of $50 million or more can choose to be anonymous for up to 90 days after claiming the prize.

Kee’s winnings will come through a lump sum payment of $95.3 million and, after required federal and state taxes, took home $68.6 million.

ELLERBE, N.C.. (AP) — Andre The Giant, a towering menace in the wrestling ring but a gentle giant on the movie screen, is being honored with a roadside marker in his beloved adopted small town in North Carolina.

Officials plan to unveil the marker Thursday in Ellerbe, North Carolina, a community of about 1,000 people where the wrestler born Andre Rene Roussimoff lived on a ranch just outside town.

Andre was billed at 7-foot-4 (2.24 meters) and 520 pounds (236 kilograms) during his time wrestling for the WWE in the 1970s and 1980s.

A larger than life villain, Roussimoff was touted as unbeatable until he faced Hulk Hogan in a match in 1987 at WrestleMania III that launched the once regional wrestling company into a nationwide entertainment force.

Later that year, Roussimoff appeared on film as the giant Fezzik in “The Princess Bride.” Fezzik was the gentle-hearted muscle for the antagonist and needed rhymes to remember his instructions.

Roussimoff was born in France. But as he wrestled around the U.S. South he fell in love with the region, buying his North Carolina ranch and raising cattle on his land about 60 miles (97 kilometers) east of Charlotte.

He became a critical part of the Ellerbe community. In 1990, he taped TV and radio spots against a possible low-level radioactive landfill nearby. A pair of his size-26 cowboy boots are kept at a museum.

Roussimoff died in 1993 at age 46 in France where he was visiting for his father’s funeral. They had a service for him there, but his body was cremated and his ashes spread at his beloved ranch.

The Richmond County marker at NC Highway 72 and Old NC Highway 220 simply says “Andre The Giant. 1946-1993. Actor and professional wrestler. Was born Andre Roussimoff. Known for role in The Princess Bride in 1987. Lived nearby.”