2 weeks Ago
Dry conditions, wind and trees downed by Hurricane Helene fueled wildfires in North Carolina and South Carolina, where evacuation orders were in effect Tuesday.Related ArticlesWomen’s NCAA Tournament not ready for expansion from competitive or financial standpointAfter Lahaina fire, Hawaii residents address their risk by becoming ‘Firewise’A decadelong climate lawsuit saw plaintiffs grow from childhood to adulthood. Now, it’s overFired federal workers face choices now that a judge wants them rehiredUS consumer confidence tumbles for the 4th consecutive month to a 12-year lowAbout 80 miles west of Charlotte, North Carolina, officials ordered mandatory evacuations for roughly 165 properties in rural Polk County.
Three fires there have burned at least 9 square miles. The North Carolina Forest Service says two of the fires are uncontained as of Monday night.The Black Cove Fire is one of the larger blazes.
Officials said a downed power line sparked that fire, but the causes of the other two fires are under investigation.Neighboring Henderson County issued voluntary evacuation orders and opened an emergency shelter. Volunteer fire departments were on standby, Henderson County spokesperson Mike Morgan told WLOS-TV.
“Especially near some of the homes where if the fire did jump, we can be there to help protect those homes,” Morgan said. “We’re here to monitor the situation very closely.”Two fires were burning in the mountains of South Carolina.
The fires in Table Rock State Park and nearby Persimmon Ridge have burned a combined 2.3 square miles, the South Carolina Forestry Commission said. Officials said both fires were ignited by human activity and neither were contained as of Monday night.
In this March 23, 2025, photo released by the U.S. National Guard shows a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter from the 1-111th General Support Aviation Battalion, 59th Aviation Troop Command, McEntire Joint National Guard Base in Eastover executing its fire suppression mission in support of the South Carolina Forestry Commission at Persimmon Ridge Fire near Greenville, S.
C. (Sgt. 1st Class Roberto Di Giovine/U.
S. Army National Guard via AP)Firefighters prepare to fight the wildfires in Polk County, N.C.
, on Saturday, March 22, 2025. (WLOS-TV via AP)Smoke from the wildfires fill the sky in Polk County, N.C.
, on Saturday, March 22, 2025. (WLOS-TV via AP)Firefighters prepare to fight the wildfires in Polk County, N.C.
, on Saturday, March 22, 2025. (WLOS-TV via AP)Show Caption1 of 4In this March 23, 2025, photo released by the U.S.
National Guard shows a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter from the 1-111th General Support Aviation Battalion, 59th Aviation Troop Command, McEntire Joint National Guard Base in Eastover executing its fire suppression mission in support of the South Carolina Forestry Commission at Persimmon Ridge Fire near Greenville, S.C. (Sgt.
1st Class Roberto Di Giovine/U.S. Army National Guard via AP)ExpandNo injuries were reported, and no structures were imminently threatened as of Monday night, but voluntary evacuations were issued for about 100 homes over the weekend.
On Tuesday morning, the forestry commission updated an earlier announcement to say no evacuations were planned near the Persimmon Ridge Fire, but residents were urged to be prepared to leave their homes if an evacuation is suggested in the future.“The weather over the next few days remains concerning, as relative humidities are expected to remain very low, and the forecasted wind speeds will still be conducive to spreading the fire,” the forestry commission said.Dry weather and millions of trees knocked down by Hurricane Helene last year are creating a long and active fire season in the Carolinas, according to North Carolina State University forestry and environmental resources professor Robert Scheller.
Scheller predicted this busy fire season if the region saw dry weather after the hurricane.“Helene just dropped tons of fuel on the ground,” Scheller said. “Then these flash droughts allow that fuel to dry out very fast.
”Despite recent rain, most of the Carolinas are abnormally dry or experiencing a moderate drought, according to federal monitors.This story has been corrected to show that officials were not recommending evacuations near the Persimmon Ridge Fire, but residents should be prepared to leave their homes if one is suggested..
