Wildfires prompt evacuations in Western NC, SC, after dry and windy conditions
Fire crews battled hundreds of wildfires that prompted evacuations across the Carolinas on Monday, including a 593-acre fire in Western North Carolina.
South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster issued a state of emergency. Heavy, low-hanging smoke blanketed parts of the Myrtle Beach area.
In North Carolina, families in Tryon, a town of about 1,500 in Polk County, began evacuating Saturday and Sunday along 20 endangered roads, officials said. Philip Jackson, a public information officer with the North Carolina Forest Service, said 63% of the fire was contained Monday evening.
The fire “remained stable overnight,” at the same 593 acres and 63% contained, the Polk County Emergency Management/Fire Marshal’s office said in a 10 a.m. update Tuesday.
“Crews have made tremendous progress,” emergency management officials said on social media.
An approaching storm didn’t appear to have enough rain to cancel the burn ban in the county, officials said.
As of 5:30 p.m. Monday, all evacuations in Polk County were lifted except for the 3000 to 3910 blocks of Highway 176, officials said.
The U.S. Forest Service, the federal agency that manages the country’s national parks and forests, responded to wildfires in North Carolina forests that include Croatan, Nantahala, Uwharrie, and Pisgah.
As of Tuesday afternoon, crews had “successfully contained all reported wildfires across the National Forests in North Carolina,” according to a Forest Service update.
Crews contained about 65% of the nearly 505-acre Falls Dam fire in Uwharrie National Forest east of Charlotte.
The Uwharrie National Forest is 51,850 acres, according to the agency’s website, and is located in Montgomery, Randolph, and Davidson Counties. No injuries had been reported in North Carolina.
Fires not expected to grow
As of Tuesday afternoon, the U.S. Forest Service reported that a 150-acre fire in Pisgah National Forest in the N.C. mountains was 40% contained. A 110-acre fire in Croatan National Forest in Carteret County was fully contained.
“All other reported fires have been contained,” the U.S. Forest Service said.
Still, an elevated fire danger risk was expected to persist through Wednesday, due to a weather system with strong winds and dry air, according to the Forest Service.
The Forest Service reminded people not to burn anything outdoors.
The South Carolina Forestry Commission, which tracks wildfires on its website, said there were 144 wildfires in the state; that number had dropped to 107 by late Monday afternoon and 81 by Tuesday morning.
Fires in the Carolina Forest in Horry County prompted evacuations from homes near Myrtle Beach. But evacuation orders were lifted Sunday evening.
Wildfires normal in spring
Jackson, the N.C. Forest Service spokesman, said wildfires are actually common at this time of year across North Carolina.
“North Carolina traditionally has two wildfire seasons, both spring and fall, and so really things are right on time here,” Jackson said in a phone interview Monday morning. “Maybe just a couple days earlier.”
The reason, he said, is things dry more quickly this time of year. Temperatures warm and vegetation begins to bloom from winter dormancy and starts pulling moisture out of the ground.
“Think of a bear when it comes out of hibernation,” Jackson said. “It’s got to replenish from being dormant, so it starts eating. And that’s really what this vegetation starts doing this time of year.”
Debris and downed timber from Hurricane Helene has helped wildfires spread in Western North Carolina, he said.
That downed timber drying out on mountainsides for months becomes fuel, he said.
Roads still washed out from Helene make it a challenge for first responders to access some parts of the region, he said.
N.C. Forest Service vacant positions
The real challenge, Jackson said, comes from inadequate staffing at the state agency, which has struggled with recruiting and retention for years, mainly due to low pay. It makes responding to emergencies more difficult.
The staffing problems at the N.C. Forest Service are separate from the federal U.S. Forest Service, which just experienced layoffs and some re-hirings under the Trump administration.
Most of the openings at the state agency are for county rangers, assistant county rangers, and equipment operators, Jackson said.
Those positions are not only responsible for responding to wildfires, he said, but also forest management, which includes working with private landowners and conducting prescribed fires.
With over 100 vacant positions across the state, wildfire response is not the only area lagging, Jackson said. About 54% of the staff has fewer than 10 years of experience. And some counties don’t have any staff.
“We have to rely on the surrounding counties to kind of plug those holes and cover those gaps, which, in doing so, they leave their own home units vulnerable to wildfire as well,” he said. “Our coverage, at this point, looks a lot like Swiss cheese ... We’re doing the best we can with what we have, but ultimately, there’s a lot of challenges there with coverage spread that thin.”
Staff Writer Joe Marusak contributed.
This story was originally published March 3, 2025 at 12:56 PM with the headline "Wildfires prompt evacuations in Western NC, SC, after dry and windy conditions."
