DARE COUNTY, N.C. (WAVY) — A wildland fire in Dare County caused a smell of smoke on the Outer Banks and surrounding areas.

On Wednesday morning, the N.C. Forest Service said the fire on Jackson Road had grown to 1000 acres, and was 60% contained. Officials expected rain Wednesday would help put out the fire.

The Roanoke Island Volunteer Fire Department said the fire was at the Dare County Bombing Range. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in North Carolina posted on Facebook saying the fire was on the northern portion of the Dare range with some minor extension onto Alligator River Refuge.

Refuge firefighters and equipment were assisting the N.C. Forest Service.

According to officials, the fire started March 1 as a part of a prescribed burn, however the windy weather caused the fire to spread outside containment lines on March 3.

At this time, no homes or structures are being threatened by the fire.

A photo shared by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in North Carolina showed billowing smoke on the mainland that could be seen from the Virginia Dare Bridge.

“Thankfully, with forecast weather, we do not expect the fire to present much additional threat to refuge habitats and facilities,” U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in North Carolina wrote.

The Dare County Bombing Range is a training range for F-15E aircraft crews from Seymour Johnson Air Force Base and the primary backyard range for F/A-18 squadrons operating out of Naval Air Station Oceana.

The Air Force and Navy work together to protect the land at the site, which includes forested wetlands important to species such as the red-cockaded woodpecker, red wolf, and area-sensitive songbirds, according to a military fact sheet.