Latest news with #GRFD
Yahoo
25-03-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Piedmont Triad fire departments help fight western North Carolina wildfires
ARCHDALE, N.C. (WGHP) — Across western North Carolina, wildfires are raging as all 100 North Carolina counties remain under a burn ban. Crews from East Side Fire Department in Randolph County shared a video of their efforts to put out the flames in Polk County over the weekend. Polk County and Henderson County leaders are calling for everyone living in the affected areas to evacuate their homes. Nearly 3,000 acres burned with no containment recorded by the forestry service. Now, it's all hands on deck to help put out those fires. 'It's really hard work … They need all the help they can get,' Guil-Rand Fire Department Assistant Chief of Operations Chris White said. The GRFD got a notice from the Office of State Fire Marshal on Monday asking for more manpower and resources to help fight the fires in western North Carolina. The GRFD said they quickly responded. They sent a lieutenant and a firefighter up the very next day to Polk County along with a truck with tools to help fight the fire. White said the Black Cove fire is burning on extremely steep land, which makes it hard to contain. 'The low humidity is contributing and the … high winds also … The terrain … makes it difficult to take care of,' White said. Another fire department from the Triad also went to help. A team from the East Side Fire Department was deployed over the weekend, working a 25-hour shift. Fire Chief Eric Hoffman said the destruction left behind by Hurricane Helene last year is making firefighting even harder. 'The forest floor is littered with downed trees and heavy debris, which, coupled with the steep terrain, makes navigating the woods and firefighting extremely difficult. It also provides a seemingly unending amount of fuel for the fire to burn hot and fast. We saw this firsthand,' Hoffman said. 'We ask that you keep the firefighters and residents of Polk County in your prayers. They have had a tough several months with Hurricane Helene and now the wildfires. What we observed while there are tough and resilient people who are doing their best to support each other and make the most out of a bad situation. Hopefully, some significant rains will come to the area to help douse the fires and lower the danger to lives and property.' GRFD firefighters are committed to staying in Polk County through March 31. They may have to send additional crews if conditions don't improve. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
31-01-2025
- Yahoo
Daily 8: Jan. 31, 2025
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — Friday on the Daily 8, we're looking at the closure of a Kentwood distillery, tuberculosis at a West Michigan high school, the Michigan International Auto Show and more. You can watch the full Daily 8 for Jan. 31, 2025, in the video player above or check out any of the stories mentioned below: Man who beheaded teen in 1996 granted parole Woman's body pulled from Grand River, GRFD says Skating competition brings community amid tragedy 1 diagnosed with active TB at Kalamazoo Central HS Your Friday forecast Wise Men Distillery closes, citing pandemic Kalamazoo Candle Company moving into historic building Inside this year's Michigan Int'l Auto Show Each weekday, the Daily 8 brings you the top eight stories we are keeping an eye on in and around West Michigan. Join us again on Monday for the Daily 8. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
