Several wildfires were reported on Saturday in North and South Carolina, forcing evacuations.
The emergency unfolded amid warnings throughout the south-east over dry and windy conditions that exacerbate wildfires.
In Polk county, North Carolina, officials set up an emergency shelter as a brush fire encompassing 400 to 500 acres swept an area between the communities of Tryon and Saluda, about 40 miles south of Asheville.
A social media post from Saluda’s fire department said a downed powerline on US highway 176 caused a brush fire that “rapidly spread up the mountain, threatening multiple structures”. Tryon’s and Saluda’s fire departments both led efforts to fight the blaze, with personnel from the North Carolina forest service as well as Polk, Henderson, Rutherford, Buncombe and Spartanburg counties providing assistance, the post said.
The fire had zero containment as of Saturday night.
In South Carolina, a brush fire was reported just west of Myrtle Beach in Carolina Forest. Horry county rescue fire reported ongoing evacuations due to the fire on early Sunday morning.
The South Carolina governor, Henry McMaster, issued a statewide burn ban due to the wildfire risks on Saturday night.
“Our first responders and firefighters are risking their lives to contain many fires across South Carolina tonight,” McMaster said.
