‘Tremendously Concerned’; State of Emergency Declared in Response to Several Wildfires in NC

Firefighters work at a wildfire burning near Lake Lure, N.C., on Nov. 9, 2016. Patrick Sullivan/The Times-News via AP

Firefighters in western North Carolina continue to fight a 431-acre fire that has resulted in officials declaring a state of emergency.

In Henderson County, Edneyville Fire Chief Robert Griffin told reporters on Monday that the dry conditions, wind, and unusually warmer weather for the mountain region are making it more difficult to fight the fire; however, he added that 5 percent of the fire had been contained.

“It’s how confident we feel if we walk away that the fire will not get any larger if there is no presence at all,” he said. “So, we’re still saying 5 percent. That may go up a little bit. I can’t see us going up past 20 percent containment at this point in time.”

In response to a question about the cause of the fire, Chief Griffin said when the department initially responded on Friday, they were told by nearby homeowners that they were doing burnings the week prior.

“It’s dry, the embers had popped back up, and it started the fire from that, so that’s what we’re going off of from that assumption,” he said. “We haven’t taken time to do the investigation until the incident is over.”

Drawing on Earlier Experience

In 2016, a fire charged up Pinnacle Mountain in South Carolina and jumped across the state line into North Carolina.

It had progressed 7.2 miles, starting out as one acre and over three weeks spread to 10,645 acres, burning 120 to 170 acres in North Carolina.

Firefighters told media outlets at the time that an average big fire in western North Carolina is typically 100 acres.

During that time, there were also the Gatlinburg wildfires driven by rapid winds that spread the fire over 10,000 acres and took 14 lives.

Griffin said the department has drawn from the experience of the 2016 wildfires.

“It prepared us to understand how the magnitude of this has impacted the resources we need for how it’s grown,” he said. “I hate that we’ve had to use that experience in order to be able to do something like this.”

People take photos of a wildfire burning near Lake Lure, N.C., on Nov. 10, 2016. Patrick Sullivan/The Times-News via AP

As of Sunday, the fire had destroyed two homes, a cabin, and an outbuilding when the state of emergency was declared.

Chief Griffin told local news reporters that fires were burning almost a foot below ground’s surface because of the drought conditions.

Over 150 people from four counties were working to put out the fire, he said.

On Monday, a Henderson County spokesperson told local news that 75 structures were threatened by fire, which had spread from 250 acres on Saturday to 430 by Monday.

The Henderson County Sheriff’s Office launched evacuation efforts, and state officials enacted a burn ban for 14 counties.

“Several counties in Western North Carolina are currently in a severe drought, and we are seeing wildfire activity increase due to dry conditions,” the NC Forest Service said. “Because dry conditions are expected to continue, this burn ban is necessary to reduce the risk of fires starting and spreading quickly.”

The North Carolina Division of Air Quality issued a Code Red for the region, which means children, people who are active, and older adults with heart or lung issues should avoid outside activities involving heavy exertion, while those who are healthy should limit their outside activities.

One of Several Other Wildfires

The fire, being called the Poplar Drive Fire for its location of origin in the Edneyville community in Henderson County, is one of several other major fires in western North Carolina.

The East Fork Fire in the Nantahala National Forest started on Saturday and has burned over 125 acres.

“Fire behavior is very active and is burning in steep and rugged terrain,” the NC Forest Service said. “Firefighters are working on establishing containment lines around the fire and conducting burn-out operations where terrain and weather conditions allow.”

The Collet Ridge Fire in Cherokee County started on Oct. 23 and has burned 2,919 acres.

On Tuesday, the NC Forest Service said the fire is burning along a remote, steep, and heavy forested terrain, which is difficult to access.

“Yesterday, the fire continued to grow, mainly to the southwest and southeast along the ridgeline, multiple aircraft were used to slow the progression of the fire,” the NC Forest Service said. “Very Large Air Tankers (VLATs) dropped 12,000 gallons of retardant on the southwestern corner, and a helicopter was used to perform water drops on the southeastern corner. By slowing the fire spread, this provides firefighters time to establish containment lines.”

Concurrently, a brush fire in the 10,000-acre DuPont State Recreational Forest in Henderson and Transylvania County has spread up to 36 acres with 60 percent contained.

Five to ten acres remain inside the border of the forest, known for its numerous trails and waterfalls, while the rest is on private property, according to local reports.

In Virginia, a wildfire spread 2,500 acres on Sunday and led to evacuations.

Officials in Kentucky said dry conditions have led to six forest fires in three days, causing “a significant strain on first responder agencies.”

West Virginia has seen wildfires burn up to 500 acres in Kanawha County.

In Tennessee, Anderson County is dealing with two wildfires, one 475 acres and 100 percent contained, and another having burned 210 acres and 75 percent contained as of Tuesday morning.

Lieutenant Daniel Adams with the Clinton Fire Department in Tennessee told local news that the dry conditions aren’t helping.

“Anything as simple as a cigarette being flicked out your window or disregarding some ashes—stuff we wouldn’t be as concerned about right now—we are tremendously concerned about because of the dryness,” Lt. Adams said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.