South Carolina Under State Of Emergency As Several Fires Trigger Evacuations In Carolinas, New Jersey

Mandatory evacuations remained in effect for parts of Polk County, North Carolina, on Monday, as firefighters prepared to set out for another day of battling three wildfires that began last week.

The two larger of the fires were still 0% contained by Sunday afternoon. According to the Associated Press, one of the fires measured 1.9 square miles and another had burned 2.8 square miles. At least one home was consumed by one of these blazes.

Another fire had burned about 199 acres and was 50% contained after destroying three homes. An evacuation order associated with this smaller fire had been lifted over the weekend.

Additional fires were burning in North Carolina’s Burke and Stokes counties, the North Carolina Forest Service reported.

In South Carolina, the Table Rock Fire prompted Gov. Henry McMaster to declare a state of emergency Saturday. It’s the second time this month McMaster declared a state of emergency due to wildfires.

By Sunday, the South Carolina Forestry Commission was referring to the incident as the Table Rock Complex Fire on social media, explaining it as a combination of two fires, the Table Rock Fire in Pickens County and the Persimmon Ridge Fire in Greenville County.

The fires grew significantly on Sunday due to heavy winds and the inaccessibility of the steep, mountainous terrain, which made it difficult for firefighters. Downed trees from Hurricane Helene were also fueling the blaze, the AP reported.

The Table Rock Fire has burned more than 2 square miles, but according to the South Carolina Forestry Commission, several hundred acres of that blaze were part of a burnout conducted by firefighters in an effort to remove fuel between evacuated areas and active wildfires. The effort to remove fuel ahead of the blazes was considered successful, but the fire remained 0% contained Sunday evening.

Residents near Table Rock Mountain were under voluntary evacuations Saturday.

The Persimmon Ridge Fire, which began Saturday, had grown to 1.25 square miles by late Sunday. Firefighters were conducting fire drops over the weekend and on Monday, at least six aircraft will be deployed for more water drops on the Table Rock Complex, according to the South Carolina Forestry Commission.

A third fire, the Covington Road Fire in South Carolina's Horry County, was reported as 80% contained by the South Carolina Forestry Commission Monday morning. The fire remained 3.2 square miles. Crews will continue to monitor the area throughout the day.

The National Weather Service has warned of an elevated fire risk across large sections of the Carolinas in recent weeks as high winds, low humidity and lack of rain have plagued the two states.

To the north, in New Jersey, another wildfire broke out in the Wharton State Forest Saturday, consuming more than 3.5 square miles, the New Jersey Forest Fire Service posted on X. The fire, dubbed the California Branch Wildfire, forced the evacuation of two campgrounds within the park and several roads in the area were closed.

The fire reached 100% containment by 8 a.m. Monday, the New Jersey Forest Fire Service posted on X. Eighteen structures that the fire had previously threatened had been spared.