Brush fire closes Lake Crabtree County Park in Morrisville

A brush fire forced Lake Crabtree County Park in Morrisville to close Thursday, cutting off one of Wake County’s most heavily used trail systems beside Interstate 40 and Raleigh-Durham International Airport. Town officials said crews were called to the park in the afternoon and stressed there was no threat to the public or to traffic.

The park said the closure would last for the rest of Thursday while fire crews worked near the floodplain and the North Carolina Forestry Service assessed the scene. Officials said the cause was still unknown, but unusually dry conditions were part of the concern as crews responded.

The fire mattered well beyond a single park entrance. Lake Crabtree County Park is a 215-acre recreation area next to a 520-acre flood-control lake, with 9.4 miles of multi-use trails, a 6-mile Lake Trail, boating access, fishing, picnic shelters, playgrounds and mountain biking routes. Wake County’s brochure says open fires are prohibited there, and the park sits at 1400 Aviation Parkway, where runners, walkers, families and commuters pass every day.

The closure also landed during a wider wildfire warning across North Carolina. On April 14, the N.C. Forest Service reported 41 wildfires burning 63.8 acres statewide, and the agency had already issued a statewide ban on open burning and canceled all burning permits effective 6 p.m. Wednesday, March 28, because of increased wildfire risk. The message for the public was straightforward: stop open burning now and do not rely on permits that have been suspended.

Lake Crabtree’s fire response comes with added local sensitivity because the park has been at the center of a major land-use fight. In January 2025, RDU’s development plans were reported to affect 136 acres of the park, including nearly all of its 9.4 miles of bike trails. Community members including Elise Freed of the Southern Wake Trail Hawks and Dave Anderson of Triangle Off Road Cyclists pushed back hard, warning that the park’s trail network and lakefront access were at risk.

Wake County later approved a new lease in June 2025 for about 70 acres of the park for more than $214,000 a year, with a 3% annual increase. That backdrop helps explain why even a one-day brush fire closure resonated across western Wake County: Lake Crabtree is not just a park to close for the afternoon, but a major green space where dry ground, heavy use and wildfire risk now meet in plain view.