Firefighters make progress on containing Carolinas wildfires but warn danger persists

Firefighters announced progress Wednesday night on containing two of the largest wildfires burning in the North Carolina mountains, but they warned that fire danger remained from dry and windy conditions.

Hundreds of people have been asked to leave their homes in North Carolina and South Carolina as a half-dozen large fires are burning in the Blue Ridge Mountains, spreading smoke into places like Greenville. Millions of fallen trees from September’s Hurricane Helene are both providing fuel for the wildfires and hindering firefighters’ use of logging roads and paths.

The North Carolina Forest Service said that the Black Cove Fire and Deep Woods Fire were each more than 10% contained on Wednesday night, after days of reporting zero containment for the two blazes. The fires have scorched nearly 10 square miles (26 square kilometers) combined, but the size of the area burned has largely remained the same since the previous day.

About 250 homes have been evacuated in Polk County, where the fires are centered. About two dozen homes and outbuildings have been destroyed in Polk County, spokesperson Kellie Cannon said.

Firefighters have managed to save most of the structures near the fires. Only one injury has been reported — a firefighter in North Carolina got his leg caught under a tree, officials said.

Discouraging forecasts

There is rain in the forecast for the weekend, but it isn’t the kind of soaking downpour that can knock a fire out on its own, said National Weather Service meteorologist Ashley Rehnberg in Greer, South Carolina.

“Hopefully that will at least calm things down briefly,” Rehnberg said.

The bright spot in the forecast for the next week is there is no especially dangerous day where the winds and the dry weather reach potentially disastrous levels like in Los Angeles in January or Gatlinburg, Tennessee, in 2016.

Forestry agencies in North Carolina and South Carolina are already figuring out how to rotate teams of firefighters into and out of the mountains for what could be a long fight.

“Burn bans are in place, and people need to follow them,” Rehnberg said. “Even if we do get rain, the weather is going to continue to be a problem as far as we can forecast.”

South Carolina fire update

South Carolina fire officials called for their first round of evacuations Tuesday night. Two fires are burning — a larger one inside Table Rock State Park in Pickens County that has consumed 3.6 square miles (9.3 square kilometers) and another one on Persimmon Ridge in Greenville County that has burned 1.6 square miles (4 square kilometers).

About 250 homes are in the Pickens County evacuation zone with more in neighboring Greenville County, authorities said.

The fires are about 8 miles (12.5 kilometers) apart, and winds are strong enough that authorities decided to evacuate the area between the two fires.

North Carolina fire update

Wednesday’s dry weather led to several new fires in western North Carolina and prompted Gov. Josh Stein to declare a state of emergency in 34 western counties. At least nine fires were active in that part of the state, officials said.

“Our State Emergency Response Team is responding with every tool at its disposal. Please stay safe and stay alert for any evacuation orders if the fires spread to an area near you,” Stein said in a statement.

Late Tuesday, a wildfire started in far western North Carolina not far from Bryson City. Police were evacuating dozens of people as the fire spread to nearly 1 square mile (1.6 square kilometers).

Authorities tell people to stop burning

The fires in South Carolina have been caused by humans.

Authorities from local fire chiefs all the way to South Carolina’s governor are urging people to heed burn bans in both states and stop setting fires to burn garbage or at campsites.

“We have people going out in the woods and in their backyards and starting fires when the wind is blowing and everything is dry,” South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster said. “We just have to use common sense. People get out in nature and they forget how dangerous it can be.”