Crews in North and South Carolina are battling wildfires, fueled by dry conditions and strong winds, while residents in some areas were forced to evacuate. The National Weather Service issued a warning about the heightened fire risk due to extremely dry conditions and low humidity.
In South Carolina, over 175 fires had already burned 6.6 square miles. Governor Henry McMaster declared a state of emergency to aid the firefighting efforts, and a statewide burning ban was still in place.
In the Carolina Forest area, just west of Myrtle Beach, crews were making progress containing a fire that had forced several neighborhoods to evacuate. Video footage showed residents running down the streets as smoke filled the air. The fire department announced that evacuees could return home. The fire had burned about 2.5 square miles, with 30% of it contained by evening. Thankfully, no structures had been destroyed and there were no injuries reported as of Sunday morning.
Meanwhile, in North Carolina, fire crews were working to contain several wildfires across four forests. The largest fire, which had grown to about 400 acres, was burning at Uwharrie National Forest, about 50 miles east of Charlotte. By the afternoon of Sunday, March 2, it was about one-third contained.
In Tryon, a small town in Polk County, North Carolina, residents were urged to evacuate on Saturday as a fire spread quickly. The evacuation orders remained in effect on Sunday, with officials planning to decide whether to lift them by Monday after conducting controlled burns to help contain the fire. As of Sunday evening, the fire had burned about 500 acres and was still zero percent contained. Crews were performing water drops and back-burning operations, and residents were advised to expect heavy smoke in the area.
As of now, officials have not disclosed the causes of any of the fires.
