North Carolina woman charged with starting Jumping Branch fires

Criminal charges filed against a North Carolina woman involved in a wildfire investigation shows how dangerously dry forest conditions can produce catastrophic damage.

A day after the state imposed a burn ban, McDowell County resident Hilary Brooke Inman, 38, is accused of discarding smoking material on the ground, triggering the Jumping Branch wildfire that has charred more than 180 acres.

At last check, forestry officials said that the wildfire was 20 percent contained.

(IMAGE: Property of US Forest Service / National Forests of North Carolina)