Evacuations continue Saturday from rapidly spreading NC and SC mountain wildfires
Mandatory evacuations continued in the Carolinas on Saturday from rapidly spreading mountain wildfires that firefighters from across the United States have battled for days, emergency officials said.
Three fires that merged to form the Black Cove Complex Fire have burned nearly 7,000 acres in Western North Carolina's Polk and Henderson counties, N.C. Forest Service rangers said Friday night.
The fires engulfed 22 structures, forced evacuations on 18 roads and required an injured firefighter to be airlifted to a hospital.
AmeriCorps NCCC, which sent a team of firefighters, called the Black Cove Complex Fire on Friday the 'highest priority fire in the U.S.'
About 450 firefighters from across the state and nation were on the scene Friday night, according to the N.C. Forest Service.
Concord Fire deployed a team that has worked all three of the Black Cove Complex fires.
And FEMA on Friday authorized federal money to reimburse costs to North Carolina to fight the massive Table Rock fire in Transylvania County.
The fire spread northeast from Pickens County, S.C., and has consumed 10,904 acres, according to an update Saturday by the S.C. Forestry Commission.
Another S.C. mountain wildfire, the Persimmon Ridge Fire, has consumed 2,000 acres in Greenville and Pickens counties, officials said.
One of the fires that formed the Black Cove Complex Fire has burned 3,410 acres and was 23% contained, Forest Service officials said in a noon update Saturday. The fire, named the Black Cove Fire, was about two miles northeast of Saluda, in the Green River Gorge.
Gastonia firefighters were among those who worked through the night late Friday and early Saturday to protect homes near Saluda from the fire.
'Fire behavior has continued to be intense, with rapid fire spread and areas of extreme burning conditions due to shifting winds and dry weather during the day,' according to a news release from the Forest Service on Friday night.
Overnight, the fire 'calmed down due to increasing humidity and cloud cover,' fire officials said Saturday. 'Crews patrolled and monitored fire lines throughout the night.'
A downed power line caused the fire, which was first reported on Wednesday, officials said.
The second fire, known as the Deep Woods Fire, spread to 3,797 acres and was 32% contained by Friday night. The fire was about five miles northwest of Columbus, on state-owned and private land in the Green River Gorge and the neighboring Holbert Cove community, according to the N.C. Forest Service.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation. The fire also was first reported on Wednesday.
The third fire, called the Fish Hook Fire, covered 199 acres and was 95% contained, officials said. The fire was about five miles northwest of Mill Spring on private land near Lake Adger.
A downed power line also caused that fire, which was reported on Thursday, officials said.
A 1,300-acre fire in the Alarka community near Bryson City was only 10% contained, Swain County Emergency Management officials said on social media at 8:30 p.m. Friday.
The cause of the fire that started Tuesday remains under investigation, officials said. Evacuations were ordered for Long Creek Lane, Unahala Creek and Alarka Highlands.
Temperatures and wind increased in Swain County early Saturday ahead of possible rain, officials said. Gusts up to 21 mph were expected and highs near 70 degrees. The chance of showers stood at 40% this weekend.
'Dry windy conditions and rough, rocky terrain will make fire suppression efforts difficult until significant rain is received,' Swain County emergency officials said.
North Carolina is under a statewide burn ban. A state of emergency was declared Wednesday for 34 Western North Carolina counties.
To check wildfire activity across the state, use the North Carolina Forest Service wildfire public viewer at https://ncfspublic.firesponse.com/.
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