‘Extreme wildfire behavior:' Crews continue battling northern Greenville Co. fire as conditions worsen

Yahoo

27-03-2025

CLEVELAND, S.C. (WSPA) – Emergency evacuation orders remained in effect Wednesday for hundreds of northern Greenville County residents as the Persimmon Ridge fire expanded.
'The wind picked up and moved the fire to areas that we didn't expect them to move,' said Madeline Stewart, a spokesperson with the South Carolina Forestry Commission.
Wednesday afternoon, new infrared data obtained during a surveillance flight showed the growth of the Persimmon Ridge fire. It's estimated to have scorched more than 1,500 acres, according to the South Carolina Forestry Commission.
Crews said the fire expanded around all four sides of its perimeter, jumped over US 276 to the west, and pushed further down Persimmon Ridge Road.
Additional resources from across the Carolina's were funneled toward the growing plumes of smoke blanketing the region.
'What we're seeing is extreme wildfire behavior,' said Stewart.
Stewart was closely connected to fire operations and management for the state's Forestry Commission alongside Greenville County Emergency Management and other agencies.
'In this very rough terrain here in the Upstate. A lot of times heavy equipment cannot get into the remote areas that we need to get to. So, we bring in hand crews,' said Stewart.
According to SCFC, an abundance of downed timber from Hurricane Helene contributed to the extreme fire behavior.
'Our crews are dealing with trying to get all of that debris out of the way to build those containment lines and also those contingency lines which is basically a backup plan if those containment lines don't work,' Stewart said.
As the smoke billowed over the Upstate, dozens of crews continued battling the fires on the ground and worked on containment efforts by air.
The weather conditions didn't work in crews' favor either. The Persimmon Ridge fire was fueled by ongoing dry conditions and gusty winds, which forced the SCFC to shift their plan of attack.
'For the first time, we had planes dropping fire retardant,' Stewart said. 'So what we're trying to do is put the fire in a box, which is what we mean when we say contain a fire but now we're going it with fire retardant. We're having two planes drop it around the fire to contain it within that box,' said Stewart.
The days prior, several aircraft worked to drop water on the rapidly spreading fire using a SLED helicopter, two SCFC single-engine air tankers, two South Carolina National Guard Black Hawks, and two South Carolina National Guard Chinooks.
Two additional aircraft, including a 'Super Scooter' and large air tanker (LAT), were requested to help fight the fire. Due to lack of visibility caused by smoke, the SCFC said the request was not fulfilled.
A complex incident management team (CIMT) arrived in the Upstate Wednesday. The group is expected to help transition to a larger response to help fight the fires.
Plans to combat the fire continue to develop each day, according to Greenville County Emergency Management. Crews focused their operations on protecting people and structures in the area.
As of Wednesday evening, the SCFC said the Persimmon Ridge fire was 0% contained.
'We really need people to stop burning and abide by that burn ban, which we don't know at this time when that will be lifted,' said Stewart.
An evacuation shelter is open at the Marietta First Baptist Church located at 2936 Geer Highway in Marietta.
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