Florence aftermath: Dead fish pile up on North Carolina interstate

In the aftermath of Florence, crews in North Carolina are now facing a unique cleanup challenge after the storm: Dead fish on a highway.

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Since flooding overwhelmed many roads, including I-40, many fish were left stranded on the asphalt as waters receded, according to the Penderlea Fire Department in North Carolina.

"Well, we can add 'washing fish off of the interstate' to the long list of interesting things firefighters get to experience!" the Fire Department wrote in a Facebook post Saturday.

Photos and video posted by the department showed countless dead fish along a stretch of the highway, which connects Wilmington and Raleigh. Firefighters used hoses to spray the fish off the road.

According to one Facebook comment, the dead fish created quite a smell on that portion of the interstate.

Commenter Aleksandr Gruzinskaya said the odor was a "horrible decaying flesh smell."

Floods due to Florence became "catastrophic" and completely shut down major highways in the state. Drone footage posted by the North Carolina Department of Transportation showed I-40 looking more like a river than a highway.

The flooding drove fish out of their natural habitat, isolating them as cleanup began.

Cox Media Group