Latest news with #NorthCarolinaDepartmentofAgricultureandConsumerServices
Yahoo
24-03-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Thousands of acres burned as wildfires tear through the Carolinas
March 24 (UPI) -- Wildfires have burned thousands of acres in the Carolinas, prompting officials to issue evacuation orders. In North Carolina, three wildfires were burning in Polk County, located south of Asheville along the North Carolina border with South Carolina. Officials said in a Sunday night update that 249 firefighters from across the state were responding. The Deep Woods Fire, the largest of the blazes, was ignited Wednesday and had grown to 2,545 acres. It was burning on state-owned and private land about 5 miles northwest of Columbus. Its fuel was timber in the area and was located in steep terrain. It was zero percent contained, with firefighters working to prevent its spread. Officials have evacuated residents on Holbert Cove Road and Fox Paw Lane. At 2,076 acres burned, the Black Cove Fire was the second largest of the three blazes and was also zero percent contained as of Sunday night, with residents from a number of streets under evacuation orders. The fire also ignited Wednesday on steep terrain located about 2 miles northeast of Saluda. Officials said the Fish Hook Fire at 199 acres mapped, was the smallest of the blazes and wa 50% contained. It was reported on Thursday and had not grown in the past 24 hours, they said. "Firefighting personnel continue to secure firebreaks along the edges of the fire and extinguish smoldering fuels," the North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services said in a statement. "Containment is expected to increase in the coming days." All evacuations ordered in connection with the Fish Hook Fire have since been lifted. In South Carolina, firefighters were battling the Table Rock Fire and the Persimmon Ridge Fire, both of which were located near the first burning in North Carolina. Both were zero percent contained. On Saturday, Gov. Henry McMaster declared a state of emergency to support efforts to combat the Table Rock Fire, which was reported to authorities in the Table Rock State Park on Friday. Pickens County said in a statement Sunday that the blaze had grown to more than 1,000 acres. Firefighters were working to contain the fire Sunday night, though progress is being hindered by debris left by Hurricane Helene, a massive storm that hit the southeastern United States before moving inland in September. An unknown number of people in the area were under evacuation orders and Table Rock State Park has closed all trail systems until further notice. The Persimmon Ridge Fire was estimated at more than 200 acres. Residents of Oil Camp and Cliff Ridge regions had been ordered to evacuate.
NBC News
24-03-2025
- Climate
- NBC News
Fires return to Carolinas, prompting evacuations and outside help
Evacuation orders and recommendations were in place for parts of the western foothills of the Carolinas, where nearly a half-dozen wildfires were feeding on dry woodlands, officials said Sunday. The fight against a trio of fires in Polk County, North Carolina, was taken over by a federal incident management team bolstered by out-of-state help, including 25 firefighters from Oregon who arrived by plane on Saturday, officials said at a community meeting Sunday. No injuries or deaths have been reported. Gov. Josh Stein said the Federal Emergency Management Agency approved a grant to help the state respond to the blazes. Polk County government declared a state of emergency on Wednesday, when the more than 2,000-acre Black Cove Fire started in Green River Gorge. On Sunday, the North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services said the blaze was 0% contained. New evacuations were ordered for residents of five roadways in the area, according to Polk County Emergency Management. Since Friday, residents of more than a dozen streets and roadways in the area of the Black Cove Fire were ordered to evacuate, with some of those residents allowed to return. Despite the new evacuations, receptive fuels and stubborn heat in fire-charred earth doused by water-dropping aircraft over the weekend, firefighters expressed some confidence that progress was being made on the fire. "We're holding that fire in that creek drainage," Brian Rogers, a state forest ranger who's a manager for the federal response, said as he pointed at a fire map during a community meeting Sunday. "We haven't had any movement on it." The Deep Woods Fire nearby has burned more than 2,500 acres and also stood at 0% containment, the department said in a statement. Residents of two roadways were ordered to evacuate as firefighters worked on structure protection on the southern flank of the blaze, the North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services said. Rogers said firefighters were letting blaze burn itself out in places as it ran out of ground at logging roads connected by new fire lines on Sunday. The third in a trio of fires that compose the state's Black Cove Complex Fires is the 199-acre Fish Hook Fire, officially 50% contained but pushed back enough that evacuation orders were lifted, the department said. "We're feeling really confident of where we're at on Fish Hook," Rogers said. Another blaze was spotted by a firefighter moving between hot zones in western North Carolina over the weekend, he said, but it wasn't clear if that was a fourth fire or one of the existing wildfires. North Carolina is in its annual spring wildfire season, and the state Forest Service on Friday imposed a statewide burn ban. 'Our top priority is always to protect lives, property and forestland across the state,' state Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler said in a statement. 'It is imperative that folks adhere to this burn ban until further notice.' In South Carolina, where there was also a burn ban, a fire is burning on top of Table Rock Mountain in Table Rock State Park, officials said. South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster on Saturday declared a state of emergency due to the fire, which is in Pickens County in the northwestern part of the state. A declaration of emergency allows state resources and other aid to be used. The Table Rock Fire grew to 1,300 acres by Sunday evening, with 0% containment reported, the state Forestry Commission said, but firefighters made progress by extending fire breaks and sparking a prescribed burn to consume fuel between the wildfire and some homes. "The burnout, which remains in progress, is being deemed successful," it said in a Sunday evening statement. Another wildfire, the Persimmon Ridge Fire, grew from an estimated 50 acres Sunday afternoon to roughly 800, the fire commission said. It was expanding on state property in the Mountain Bridge Wilderness Area, where there was also 0% containment, according to the commission. Officials on Sunday combined the two fires on paper, which sometimes precedes a takeover by a federally funded cooperative of state and local firefighters called a Complex Incident Management Team. The combined fires were being calling the Table Rock Complex Fire. A little more than 10 miles separated the individual blazes. Western North Carolina and South Carolina were damaged by Hurricane Helene in September, and that was affecting the fire growth, the commission said. "Spot fires continue to spark new ignitions outside of the original fire area," the South Carolina Forestry Commission said. "Exacerbating the situation is an abundance of downed timber from Hurricane Helene, which has increased the fuel load on the mountain." At the beginning of the month, South Carolina was struck my more than 100 wildfires as firefighters in North Carolina battled blazes at all four of the state's national forests. Over the weekend, the foothills east of the Blue Ridge Mountains were under the influence of a weak high pressure system that boosted high temperatures into the 70s, pushed out gusts as strong as 28 mph and inspired red flag warnings that alerted some communities of extreme fire danger, according to the National Weather Service office in Greer, South Carolina, which covers the western end of the Carolinas. Relative humidity was about 20% on Sunday, it said, with the region covered by a "fire danger statement" that warns of elevated wildfire risk. Rain was possible Monday as a low pressure system moves through the region, federal forecasters said, but fire weather could return during the work week. "The combination of low relative humidity and drier fuels will increase fire danger Tuesday through Saturday," the weather service said in a hazardous weather outlook on Sunday. Almost all of North and South Carolina has been classified as either 'abnormally dry' or under moderate drought by the U.S. Drought Monitor, which is a collaboration of government agencies that include the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Yahoo
03-03-2025
- Yahoo
Forsyth County Animal Shelter facing fine after allegations of animal neglect
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (WGHP) — A Triad-area animal shelter is facing a fine after documents allege neglectful treatment of animals in their care. According to a letter dated Feb. 26, the Veterinary Division of the North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services hit the Forsyth County Animal Shelter with a civil penalty that the shelter must pay $8,400 or appeal within 60 days. Guilford County Animal Services partners with Department of Social Services to help pet owners The fine stems from a Feb. 3 complaint that claimed the shelter failed to provide adequate veterinary care to multiple dogs, including one that had been hit by a car and had multiple broken bones. That dog was later found dead in its kennel. The state opened an investigation, visiting the shelter on Feb. 4, 5 and 6 to investigate the allegations. Officials reported multiple violations: failure to maintain records, failure to make records available to the state, failure to isolate sick animals and failure to provide vet care to animals that needed it, including the dog who was found dead and a kitten that had to be euthanized. The shelter is also accused of having non-veterinarians provide prescription medication to animals, administer vaccinations and insert microchips. 'The Shelter Director relayed she was aware that she and the shelter staff were not licensed and knew that only licensed veterinarians could perform these services on animals owned by the public,' according to the documents from NCDACS. In a statement, the county said, 'Forsyth County was made aware of the Notice of Violation and Civil Penalties last week. Upon receiving the document, County leadership had an in-person meeting with the North Carolina Director of Animal Welfare to review all findings in great detail. County leadership ensured the State that we are dedicated to complying with the N.C. Animal Welfare Act and will take immediate action to address the violations found in the report. County staff will work closely with the Department of Agriculture's Animal Welfare Section to implement standard procedures that guarantee compliance going forward.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
