Latest news with #CrookedCreekFire
Yahoo
30-01-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Drone Footage Shows Wildfire Burning in North Carolina
Drone footage captured a wildfire burning over McDowell County in western North Carolina on Wednesday, January 29, as crews continued to battle another wildfire in the area. This footage captured by Side by Side Media shows the Crooked Creek Fire burning just over 20 miles away from Asheville, North Carolina, on Wednesday. According to a local news report, crews were also battling the North Fork Fire near the Woodlawn community. McDowell County Emergency Management said that the Crooked Creek Fire, which was caused by a downed power line during high winds on Wednesday, had burned 220 acres and was 55 percent contained as of Thursday afternoon. Evacuation orders for the area were lifted on Thursday morning, local news reported. Credit: Side by Side Media via Storyful
Yahoo
30-01-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
MUST SEE: Evacuations ordered in North Carolina amidst wildfires
Video Credit: Claudia John Kiser via Storyful In the must-see video above, evacuations were ordered after a wildfire ignited in McDowell County, western North Carolina, on Wednesday, January 29. The blaze, dubbed the Crooked Creek Fire by officials, broke out near Old Fort and prompted the evacuation of properties on Bat Cave Road and six other roads in the area, according to officials in the nearby city of Marion. An emergency shelter was opened at 203 East Main Street in Old Fort. By 4:30 pm, the fire had burned through 150 acres and was zero percent contained, said the McDowell County Government. 'High winds continue to create dangerous fire conditions,' the county said. 'Firefighters continue to focus on structure protection for multiple homes in the area and continue work on establishing fire containment lines.' At least two other fires broke out close by, including a brush fire in the community of Bat Cave, about 10 miles south of Old Fort, that was fully extinguished earlier on Wednesday afternoon, and another blaze north of Marion which crews were working to contain, but which had not prompted any evacuation orders. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
USA Today
30-01-2025
- Climate
- USA Today
A community was hit hard by Hurricane Helene. They are now dealing with raging wildfires.
A North Carolina area, McDowell County, still recovering from the devastation caused by Hurricane Helene is facing yet another natural disaster in the form of wildfires. Old Fort, a town of roughly 800 located in McDowell County, was hit with evacuation orders Wednesday afternoon after the Crooked Creek wildfire broke out, the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA TODAY Network, reported. As of noon ET Thursday, McDowell County's Office of Emergency Management said 220 acres had burned and the fire was 55% contained. Evacuation orders were lifted at 8 a.m. but emergency personnel will remain on-site to monitor the situation and ensure containment of the fire. One home was damaged and multiple outbuildings were destroyed, said the agency's Thursday afternoon announcement. The county said in its afternoon update that the fire was caused by a downed power line during high winds on Wednesday. No injuries have been reported. The North Carolina Forest Service Wildfire Public Viewer showed that McDowell County was contending with three active wildfires Wednesday including the Crooked Creek Fire in Old Fort and the North Fork Fire in Marion. Evacuation orders lifted:Old Fort wildfire burns 220 acres, now 55% contained North Carolina communities still reeling from Helene The last few months have been anything but easy for Old Fort and other communities across Western North Carolina. Hurricane Helene slammed into North Carolina in late September, impacting the Western part of the state particularly hard. At a legislative meeting on Wednesday, local officials told state lawmakers that WNC will need "billions more dollars from the federal and state government to accomplish its recovery goals," reported AP. The region saw historic flooding that resulted in roughly $60 billion in damages when the storm hit. AP also reported that the North Carolina Office of Recovery and Resiliency made a call on Thursday for the legislature to provide $217 million in funds to complete construction on more than 1,000 Eastern North Carolina homes destroyed by Hurricanes Matheew and Florence in 2016 and 2018. The Citizen Times reported that on Jan. 2, Gov. Josh Stein signed his first executive order to bring more temporary housing units — in the form of travel trailers — to WNC while the state's senators have called on President Joe Biden to bring more housing to the region in a Jan. 8 letter to the president. Between 121,000 and 132,000 homes in WNC were estimated to be damaged by Helene, according to North Carolina's Office of State Budget and Management. With over 5,700 households in FEMA-funded hotels at the beginning of the month, around 3,500, were set to be given the boot by Jan. 12, leaving residents scrambling for housing, reported the Citizen Times earlier this month. As of the Citizen Time's Jan. 13 report, FEMA had placed 93 households in temporary housing units, but roughly 12,000 WNC residents remained displaced after Helene.
Yahoo
30-01-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
A community was hit hard by Hurricane Helene. They are now dealing with raging wildfires.
A North Carolina area, McDowell County, still recovering from the devastation caused by Hurricane Helene is facing yet another natural disaster in the form of wildfires. Old Fort, a town of roughly 800 located in McDowell County, was hit with evacuation orders Wednesday afternoon after the Crooked Creek wildfire broke out, the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA TODAY Network, reported. As of noon ET Thursday, McDowell County's Office of Emergency Management said 220 acres had burned and the fire was 55% contained. Evacuation orders were lifted at 8 a.m. but emergency personnel will remain on-site to monitor the situation and ensure containment of the fire. One home was damaged and multiple outbuildings were destroyed, said the agency's Thursday afternoon announcement. The county said in its afternoon update that the fire was caused by a downed power line during high winds on Wednesday. No injuries have been reported. The North Carolina Forest Service Wildfire Public Viewer showed that McDowell County was contending with three active wildfires Wednesday including the Crooked Creek Fire in Old Fort and the North Fork Fire in Marion. Evacuation orders lifted: Old Fort wildfire burns 220 acres, now 55% contained The last few months have been anything but easy for Old Fort and other communities across Western North Carolina. Hurricane Helene slammed into North Carolina in late September, impacting the Western part of the state particularly hard. At a legislative meeting on Wednesday, local officials told state lawmakers that WNC will need "billions more dollars from the federal and state government to accomplish its recovery goals," reported AP. The region saw historic flooding that resulted in roughly $60 billion in damages when the storm hit. AP also reported that the North Carolina Office of Recovery and Resiliency made a call on Thursday for the legislature to provide $217 million in funds to complete construction on more than 1,000 Eastern North Carolina homes destroyed by Hurricanes Matheew and Florence in 2016 and 2018. The Citizen Times reported that on Jan. 2, Gov. Josh Stein signed his first executive order to bring more temporary housing units — in the form of travel trailers — to WNC while the state's senators have called on President Joe Biden to bring more housing to the region in a Jan. 8 letter to the president. Between 121,000 and 132,000 homes in WNC were estimated to be damaged by Helene, according to North Carolina's Office of State Budget and Management. With over 5,700 households in FEMA-funded hotels at the beginning of the month, around 3,500, were set to be given the boot by Jan. 12, leaving residents scrambling for housing, reported the Citizen Times earlier this month. As of the Citizen Time's Jan. 13 report, FEMA had placed 93 households in temporary housing units, but roughly 12,000 WNC residents remained displaced after Helene. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Wildfires hit McDowell County in NC still reeling from Helene
Yahoo
29-01-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Wildfire erupts in North Carolina town recovering from Helene
An "out of control" wildfire erupted in the western North Carolina town of Old Fort on Wednesday, just four months after the area was ravaged by Hurricane Helene. As of 4:30 p.m., the blaze, dubbed the Crooked Creek Fire, has so far burned 150 acres, emergency officials said, and remains 0% contained. Evacuations are now underway in some areas in Old Fort, which was among the hardest-hit towns by Helene when it made landfall at the end of September. Local evacuation orders for residents can be found here. An emergency shelter has been opened at 203 East Main Street and residents in impacted areas have been urged to evacuate to ensure their safety, officials said. "High winds continue to create dangerous fire conditions," the McDowell County Emergency Management said in its latest update. "Firefighters continue to focus on structure protection for multiple homes in the area and continue work on establishing fire containment lines." The fire comes after emergency management officials issued a wind advisory that started at midnight on Wednesday. Officials had warned of 15 to 25 mph winds with gusts of up to 50 mph that were expected to last until 6 p.m. today. According to CBS affiliate WNCN, initial reports indicate the fire was started by a tree falling onto a power line. Trump's statement on New Jersey drones issued at White House press briefing Trump offering "deferred resignation" to government workers unwilling to return to office AI stocks plunge as China's DeepSeek sends shock wave through Wall Street
