Campfire determined to be cause of Sauratown Mountain wildfire

Stokes County Ranger Jonathan Young confirmed Friday that the 2023 Sauratown Mountain wildfire was caused by an escaped campfire.

The fire was reported on Nov. 18, 2023. Dry weather and some windy conditions quickly fanned the blaze into a major fire. It grew rapidly over the next few days, ultimately consuming about 805 acres.

Local, state and national crews worked to suppress the fire which wasn’t considered 100% contained until about Dec. 5, after considerable work aided by rainfall finally doused the blaze.

At that time, the cause of the wildfire was still under investigation by the N.C. Forest Service’s law enforcement division at that time. Authorities just released the cause, but did not say if anyone would be charged with any offenses in relation to the fire.