Hundreds more residents in North and South Carolina have been ordered to evacuate as wildfires continue to spread across the Blue Ridge Mountains. Dry and windy conditions are expected to persist throughout the week, raising concerns about the fires’ potential to grow.
A half-dozen significant fires are burning, filling the skies with smoke that reaches as far as Greenville. Fallen trees from September’s Hurricane Helene are fueling the blazes and hindering firefighters by blocking crucial logging roads and paths used to contain the fires.
Despite the challenges, firefighters have successfully protected most structures near the fires, with only one reported injury—a firefighter in North Carolina who sustained a leg injury under a fallen tree. An estimated 40 square kilometers have burned so far.
Rain is forecasted for the weekend, but meteorologists caution that it may not be sufficient to extinguish the fires entirely. However, the lack of especially dangerous weather conditions provides some relief compared to past catastrophic fires in other regions.
Authorities are coordinating efforts to rotate firefighting teams, anticipating a prolonged battle against the flames. Evacuations have expanded in South Carolina’s Pickens and Greenville counties, affecting over 250 homes. The fires, including one in Table Rock State Park and another on Persimmon Ridge, are about 13 kilometers apart.
In western North Carolina, a state of emergency has been declared in 34 counties due to at least nine active fires. Some two dozen homes and outbuildings have been destroyed in Polk County, with significant fires also impacting neighboring Henderson County. Late Tuesday, evacuations were ordered near Bryson City as a wildfire rapidly grew to nearly 2.6 square kilometers.
