Multiple wildfires erupt in the Carolinas, force evacuations – CBS News
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By
Jared Ochacher
Updated on: March 2, 2025 / 7:33 PM EST
/ CBS News
Brush fires that erupted amid dry and windy conditions caused officials in both North and South Carolina to order evacuations Saturday. A fire in North Carolina’s Polk County has burned between 400 to 500 acres and was at zero containment, according to Jeremy Waldrop with the North Carolina Fire Service. Waldrop said that structures could be at risk and officials would assess any potential damage Sunday morning.The NCFS on Sunday performed controlled burns to slow down the spread of the blaze and strengthened fire lines that were already in place, officials said.Polk County announced evacuations in a Facebook Post for residents along U.S. Highway 176 between Tryon and Saluda, warning that the fire is spreading rapidly, and multiple departments were working on containment. Tryon has a population of about 1,500 people, while Saluda’s is under 1,000. The towns are approximately 40 miles south of Asheville.In South Carolina, Horry County Fire Rescue evacuated residents from several neighborhoods in the Carolina Forest, around 10 miles west of Myrtle Beach, due to a forest fire that has burned at least 1,600 acres. South Carolina Gov. Henry McMacter issued a state of emergency on Sunday in response to the ongoing fire that was at 30% containment.”We are being evacuated from our neighborhood as winds have increased and shifted,” resident Jason Jawz wrote Facebook, posting a video of billowing smoke on Sunday morning. Two planes and a Blackhawk helicopter were seen dropping water on the fire Sunday morning. Tractors also helped dig lines around the blaze in an effort to contain it.By late Sunday afternoon, Horry County Fire Rescue said all residents previously evacuated were able to return home, warning them to watch out for any rekindling and hotspots. A statewide burn ban for all counties was still in effect after over 100 ignitions were reported Saturday, according to the South Carolina Forestry Commission.A red flag warning from the National Weather Service expired late Saturday night for western North Carolina and upstate South Carolina. Red Flag warnings indicate critical fire weather conditions are either occurring or imminent.
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