Multiple wildfires erupt in the Carolinas, force evacuations

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 was burning at least 400 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.

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 wildfire. There was no word on how many acres the fire had burned or whether there was any containment. 

“Horry County is monitoring the weather forecast and preparing to adjust course in our life safety and property protection plan should conditions evolve,” Horry County Fire Rescue wrote in a social media post. 

Two planes and a Blackhawk helicopter would drop water on the fire Sunday morning, according to South Carolina state Rep. Tim McGinnis. Tractors were also on the way to help dig lines around the blaze in an effort to contain it.

The South Carolina Forestry Commission issued a statewide burn ban for all counties after over 100 ignitions were reported Saturday.

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.