Crews battled wildfires in North and South Carolina on Sunday amid dry conditions and gusty winds and evacuations were ordered in some areas.
The National Weather Service issued a warning about a heightened risk of wildfires in the area. This was primarily attributed to a combination of extremely dry vegetation and very low levels of humidity.
South Carolina’s Governor, Henry McMaster, took action by declaring a state of emergency to bolster the response efforts towards the wildfires. Additionally, a ban on burning activities across the state remained in place.
Efforts were underway to control a fire in the Carolina Forest region, located to the west of Myrtle Beach. Residents in certain neighborhoods were instructed to evacuate as the Horry County Fire Rescue managed the situation.
The South Carolina Forestry Commission estimated Sunday afternoon that the blaze was burning about 1.9 square miles (4.9 square kilometers) with zero percent containment. No structures had succumbed to the blaze and no injuries had been reported as of Sunday morning, officials said.
The 410 personnel involved in the effort were expected to remain until the fire was contained, county fire officials said. Evacuations were expected to remain in place Sunday and officials warned residents in the Carolina Forest area to be prepared with go-bags and emergency plans if more evacuations were called in their neighborhoods.
In North Carolina, the U.S. Forest Service said fire crews were working to contain multiple wildfires burning on more than 400 acres (161.87 hectares) in four forests across the state on Sunday. The largest, about 300 acres (121.41 hectares), was at Uwharrie National Forest, about 50 miles (80.47 kilometers) east of Charlotte.
The small southwestern town of Tryon in Polk County, North Carolina, urged some residents to evacuate Saturday as a fire spread rapidly there. On Sunday, officials said those evacuations remained in effect.
That fire was burning about 400 acres (161.87 hectares) on Sunday afternoon, with zero percent containment, according to the Polk County Emergency Management/Fire Marshal’s office. The North Carolina Forest Service was conducting helicopter water drops and back-burning operations on the ground, and area residents should expect a lot of smoke during those operations, officials said.
Officials have not said what caused any of the fires.
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