North Carolina wildfires prompt evacuation orders
Evacuation orders have been issued in a western North Carolina county as three wildfires burn Sunday amid dry conditions and drought, officials said.
By Sunday afternoon, the Green River Cove Fire had burned more than 1,200 acres; the Deep Wood Fire had burned a little more than 1,700 acres; and the Fish Hook Fire, 199 acres, Polk County spokesperson Kellie Cannon said.
The two larger fires were 0% contained, while the Fish Hook Fire was 50% contained, she said.
No injuries or deaths have been reported.
North Carolina is in its annual spring wildfire season, and the state Forest Service on Friday imposed a statewide burn ban.
“Our top priority is always to protect lives, property and forestland across the state,” state Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler said in a statement. “It is imperative that folks adhere to this burn ban until further notice.”
In South Carolina, where there was also a burn ban, a fire is burning on top of Table Rock Mountain in Table Rock State Park, officials said.
South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster on Sunday declared a state of emergency due to the fire, which is in Pickens County in the northwestern part of the state. A declaration of emergency allows state resources and other aid to be used.
The fire was at 300 acres Sunday afternoon and was continuing to grow, the state Forestry Commission said. It started Friday.
Western North Carolina and South Carolina were damaged by Hurricane Helene in September, and that was affecting the fire growth, the commission said.
“Exacerbating the situation is an abundance of downed timber from Hurricane Helene, which has increased the fuel load on the mountain,” the South Carolina Forestry Commission said.
Almost all of North and South Carolina has been classified as either “abnormally dry” or under moderate drought by the U.S. Drought Monitor, which is a collaboration of government agencies that include the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
