Wildfires scorching Carolinas still not contained as high winds fan flames: Tuesday recap
Firefighters in the Carolinas were battling wildfires Tuesday as patches of the region wrestled with drought-like conditions and high winds just months after Hurricane Helene overwhelmed much of western North Carolina with historic flooding.
In North Carolina, firefighters from across the state have converged on rural Polk County to battle at least three blazes that have scorched nearly 10 square miles, destroyed over 10 homes and multiple other buildings, and forced mandatory evacuations.
The Black Cove Fire had scorched less than 5 square miles − but it raged less than 2 miles from the town of Saluda, remained 0% contained and spread into Henderson County, where officials ordered some mandatory evacuations Tuesday evening.
Firefighting efforts have been hindered by the impact of Helene as debris remains in forests and on some roads. Dry conditions that have prevailed across much of North Carolina and South Carolina for weeks have created an "elevated fire risk." Windy conditions on Tuesday and Wednesday were expected to add to the problem.
North Carolina Gov Josh Stein lauded the state Forest Service, the State Emergency Response Team, and firefighters from across the state for their efforts.
"Thank you for doing everything to keep folks safe," Stein said in a social media post.
Biggest North Carolina fires 0% contained
In North Carolina, firefighters have been unable to contain the two biggest fires even as they grow to burn some 6,000 acres, according to Kellie Cannon, a Polk County public information officer.
Both blazes - the Black Cove and Deep Woods fires - are raging in the Green River Gorge. National Weather Service meteorologist Clay Chaney said the area experienced wind gusts between 25-35 mph on Tuesday, exacerbating firefighters' ability to respond to the fires. North Carolina is currently under a statewide burn ban.
There is no chance of rain until "probably late Saturday night into Sunday," Chaney said. Wind gusts are not expected to die down until Thursday and Friday.
The Black Cove Fire has burned almost 5 square miles and consumed seven homes, damaged another and destroyed seven other buildings, Cannon said. 55 homes have been evacuated. The Deep Woods Fire has burned some 4.5 square miles. 110 homes have been evacuated. One home has been destroyed as well as three buildings, according to Cannon.
More than 50 fire departments and more than 300 personnel from North Carolina and other states are deployed on the ground to combat the two blazes, according to reporting by the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the Paste BN Network.
Another blaze, the Fish Hook Fire, has burned just a third of 1 square mile and is 72% contained, according to Cannon. The fire has destroyed three homes and one other building.
Fire rages near Saluda and 135-year-old store
In Saluda, Thompson's Store on Main Street dates back to 1890 and claims to be the state's oldest grocery. Saluda had a serious fire threat earlier this month when a brush fire raced out of control, and the store noted on Facebook that "our tiny town is yet again facing destruction."
The town survived that blaze. The latest fire has resulted in some mandatory evacuations, but Thompson's proprietor sounded more upbeat Tuesday.
"No worries, Thompson's Store is safe," Lindsey Holmes said in an email to Paste BN. "The firefighters are doing everything they can to prevent the fire from spreading across the interstate!!"
National Guard aids firefighters in South Carolina
In South Carolina, fire crews worked to quell flames in the mountainous areas of Greenville and Pickens County but the blazes have yet to be at all contained, according to a South Carolina Forestry Commission update Tuesday evening.
Both blazes — the Table Rock and Persimmon Ridge fires — were started by people, the forestry commission said.
The Table Rock Fire has burned 3.5 square miles, the South Carolina Forestry Commission said. The Persimmon Fire has burned about 1.5 square miles.
According to the Greenville County Emergency Management, multiple agencies were attempting to put out the large fires. The fires started Saturday and coincided with a blaze in Table Rock State Park.
The National Guard said it was continuing helicopter water drops to combat the blazes.
"The South Carolina National Guard is committed to supporting local and state agencies," the agency said in a social media post. "Always ready, Always there!"
Did Helene leave NC susceptible to wildfires?
Helene's deluge across western North Carolina in September resulted in widespread, deadly flooding and landslides − followed by a severe drought during a warm winter and early spring, drying out vegetation.
Brett Anderson, a senior meteorologist and climate change expert at AccuWeather, said the hurricane also left behind lots of dead trees and fallen branches, debris that became kindling. In addition, he said, the chances of a damaging blaze have been enhanced by stronger winds than usual and a large number of insects surviving the mild winter and harming trees.
“You add all those factors together, it set us up for high fire risk in areas where you don’t usually think of big fires,’’ Anderson said. “You usually think about the West. But the table was certainly set for fires, at least for this particular year.’’ Read more here.
'Very high' fire danger spreads across California
The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection this week released the last in a series of maps updating long-term fire danger around the state. The area of "high" and "very high" severity zones has increased by 168% since the last assessment in 2011, according to an analysis by the nonprofit, nonpartisan CalMatters.
"With a few notable areas where the orange and red tide receded, like the hills above Berkeley and Oakland, territory deemed 'high' or 'very high' hazard exploded across the state," CalMatters wrote.
The zones are important to builders who will face specific building code requirements and must keep burn-free areas around buildings to curb the spread of fires.
Wildfire contained in New Jersey
In New Jersey, the updates were encouraging. The state Forest Fire Services reported 100% containment of a 2,336-acre wildfire burning in Wharton State Forest that had been closing in on 18 homes, businesses and other structures.
Contributing: Terry Benjamin II, Greenville News