Wildfires prompt evacuation in the Carolinas as New Jersey crews battle
their own blaze
[March 24, 2025]
By The Associated Press
Wildfires forced a mandatory evacuation Sunday in a North Carolina
county still recovering from Hurricane Helene, and South Carolina's
governor declared an emergency in response to a growing wildfire in that
state. Hundreds of miles north, the New Jersey Forest Fire Service was
battling a blaze in the Wharton State Forest.
The North Carolina Department of Public Safety announced a mandatory
evacuation starting at 8:20 p.m. Saturday for parts of Polk County in
western North Carolina about 80 miles (129 kilometers) west of
Charlotte.
“Visibility in area will be reduced and roads/evacuation routes can
become blocked; if you do not leave now, you could be trapped, injured,
or killed,” the agency said in a social media post.
A shelter had been established in Columbus, North Carolina.
There were three active fires in Polk County, with one spanning 1.9
square miles (5 square kilometers) and another spread over 2.8 square
miles (7.3 square kilometers) with no containment by Sunday afternoon.
County spokesperson Kellie Cannon said one home was lost to the larger
of the two fires.
A third fire that had burned about 199 acres (81 hectares) with 50%
containment had destroyed three homes. And earlier evacuation order
associated with that fire had been lifted, Cannon said.
Additional mandatory evacuations were ordered for areas of Polk County
on Sunday evening, according to a North Carolina Emergency Management
social media post.
The North Carolina Forest Service's online wildfire public viewer
indicated active fires Sunday in Burke County and in Stokes County on
the northern border with Virginia.
In South Carolina, Gov. Henry McMaster declared a state of emergency
Saturday as emergency crews in Pickens County fought the Table Rock Fire
in the Blue Ridge Mountains.
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The California Branch wildfire burns in New Jersey's Wharton State
Forest on Saturday, March 22, 2025. (New Jersey Department of
Environmental Protection, via AP)
“The State of Emergency allows us to mobilize resources quickly and
ensure our firefighters have the support they need,” McMaster said
in a statement that reinforced a statewide outdoor burning ban
issued Friday by the South Carolina Forestry Commission.
Local fire officials called for voluntary evacuations Saturday of
some residents near Table Rock Mountain, the forestry commission
said in a social media post.
That human-caused fire grew to more than 300 acres (121 hectares)
with no containment, the commission said Sunday. Spot fires ignited
fresh flames outside of the original fire area and the steep terrain
was making it hard for heavier equipment used to contain fires to
reach the area, officials said. Downed timber from Hurricane Helene
was exacerbating the situation. Voluntary evacuations of
approximately 100 residences remained in effect Sunday afternoon.
North Carolina's western region already had been hit hard by
Hurricane Helene in September. The hurricane damaged or impacted
5,000 miles (8,046 kilometers) of state-maintained roads and damaged
7,000 private roads, bridges and culverts in North Carolina.
Also this weekend, the New Jersey Forest Fire Service has been
battling a wildfire that broke out in the Wharton State Forest on
Saturday. The fire had consumed about 2.7 square miles (7 square
kilometers) as of early Sunday morning and was about 50% contained,
according to an 8 a.m. update on the service's Facebook page.
Emergency officials said they evacuated two campgrounds in the park.
Eighteen buildings were near the fire, but the flames were moving
away from them and no structures had been evacuated.
The cause of that fire was under investigation.
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