McDowell County wildfire burns more than 500 acres
A wildfire in McDowell County has burned more than 500 acres, emergency officials said Friday afternoon.
As of 12 p.m., McDowell County Emergency Management said only 10 percent of the fire was contained.
It forced evacuations this week and was burning in one of the hardest-hit areas from Hurricane Helene last September. Channel 9's Dave Faherty was in McDowell County Friday where firefighters from across the country had arrived to help.
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Faherty spoke with one firefighter from Montana who's from the U.S. Forest Service. The North Carolina Forest Service, along with local firefighters are also helping.
When Faherty drove through Marion Friday morning, he said he could see smoke off in the distance, as well as trees down and landslides from Helene.
Firefighters said they plan on building containment lines along the Blue Ridge Parkway Friday.
One man working in the area told Channel 9 he was concerned the fallen trees could continue to cause problems here in western N.C.
Hear more from him in the video above and follow the latest updates on Eyewitness News tonight, starting at 5 p.m.
WATCH BELOW: Scrapyard fire burns in Gaston County
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