North Carolina Asks Tourists To Stop Doing This 'Extremely Dangerous' Thing

Officials in a North Carolina town are begging visitors to stop an "extremely dangerous" practice along its sandy beaches.

First responders in the Outer Banks are asking beachgoers to stop leaving behind giant holes in the sand, some measuring up to 9 feet in diameter, per WCNC.

The Kill Devil Hills Fire Department recently posted multiple warning about the holes in a post on its official Facebook page, sharing photos of the some of the holes left behind along the shores.

"Please, please we beg you, if you must dig, be considerate and fill it back it!" the department wrote. "Many people think it's fun and do not think about the consequences of their actions. Leaving a large hole like this is extremely dangerous to those walking on the beach, first responders and turtles."

The post came one day after the fire department issued a first warning about the practice, telling followers it took three firefighters 20 minutes to manually fill in the hole.

"We cannot stress enough how dangerous digging a hole this large and just leaving it can be," the department said. "Please, if you must dig, be responsible and fill it back it."

According to the post, Kill Devil Hills Fire Department only has a four-person crew. On Friday (March 18), two of the crew responded to the 9-feet-wide hole while the other two remained at the station in case of an emergency call. It took the two officials over an hour to fill in the hole, given its size and location far away from a public beach access.