CARTERET COUNTY, N.C. (WITN) – Hundreds of acres in one Eastern Carolina county will be set on fire today in a controlled burn.

The Forest Service says 1,568 acres in Carteret County will be involved in the burn.

It is off Nine Mile Road and Milles Road within the Croatan National Forest, 5 miles west of Newport.

The burn is expected to generate a lot of smoke in the area and people using Nine Mile Road should drive with caution.

The controlled burn should reduce hazardous fuels on the forest floor, reducing the risk of catastrophic wildfires, the Forest Service said.