Wildfire Archives

More evacuations as wildfires burn in the Carolinas. Forecasts aren’t encouraging for firefighters

More people have been asked to leave their homes in the North Carolina and South Carolina mountains as wildfires spread and the forecast for the rest of the week isn’t encouraging. A half-dozen large fires are burning in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Millions of fallen trees from September’s Hurricane Helene are both providing fuel for the wildfires and blocking the logging roads and paths firefighters use to fight the blazes and create fire breaks. The forecast for this week is dry and windy. There’s a chance of rain over the weekend, but forecasters say it isn’t likely to be the kind of downpour that can knock a fire out on its own.… Continue Reading

Wildfires in North and South Carolina fueled by drought, wind and fallen trees from Hurricane Helene

Dry conditions, wind and trees downed by Hurricane Helene are fueling wildfires in North and South Carolina. Officials say evacuation orders are in effect Tuesday in some parts of the states while they continue to monitor the blazes. Three fires are burning in a rural North Carolina county about 80 miles west of Charlotte. At least one of the fires was caused by a downed power line. In South Carolina, two fires are burning in a mountainous region and both have no containment so far. A forestry professor says trees downed during last year’s Hurricane Helene dropped tons of fuel on the ground for the fires.… Continue Reading

Firefighters in the Carolinas battle multiple wildfires as New Jersey crews contain a forest blaze

Firefighters in North and South Carolina are battling multiple wind-driven wildfires. The fires are burning in rugged terrain that is complicating efforts to contain them. North Carolina State University forestry professor Robert Scheller says millions of trees knocked down by Hurricane Helene last fall have dried out and are helping fuel the blazes. Burn bans remain in effect in both Carolinas and mandatory evacuations continue in parts of North Carolina’s Polk County. Hundreds of miles north in New Jersey, the state Forest Fire Service says a wildfire in the Pinelands region was 100% contained on Monday morning.… Continue Reading

Wildfires prompt evacuations and an emergency declaration in the Carolinas

Wildfires forced a mandatory evacuation in one North Carolina county as emergency crews fought separate fires in an area of the state still recovering from Hurricane Helene, while South Carolina’s governor declared an emergency in response to a growing wildfire. The North Carolina Department of Public Safety issued a mandatory evacuation Saturday night for parts of Polk County in western North Carolina. The agency warns residents could be trapped, injured, or killed if they remain in the impacted areas. In South Carolina, Gov. Henry McMaster has declared a state of emergency as part of an effort to stop a blaze in Pickens County called the Table Rock Fire that started Friday in the Blue Ridge Mountains.… Continue Reading

Lighter winds help crews fighting wildfires in South and North Carolina

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (AP) — Lighter winds in South Carolina and North Carolina are helping firefighters battle blazes that caused evacuations and threatened hundreds of homes over the weekend. Firefighters kept a large blaze near Myrtle Beach from destroying any homes despite social media videos of orange skies at night and flames engulfing pine trees just yards away. The danger wasn’t over Monday. South Carolina officials banned almost all outdoor fires, including burning yard debris and campfires. In western North Carolina, firefighters were setting blazes to burn fuel and contain a wildfire in Polk County.… Continue Reading

Families of wildfire victims mired in grief, questioning what more could have been done

Many families in California are full of grief and questions about what more they could have done to save their loved ones from the deadly wildfires. Experts say these survivors are victims themselves. The fires that swept through the Los Angeles area this month were fast-moving and fierce and there just wasn’t more they could do. But that doesn’t ease the pain or the questions for the families of the more than two dozen killed, some unable to escape, others unaware of what was coming, having survived other blazes unscathed. Despite reassurances, they can’t help but second-guess if they could have done more.… Continue Reading

Los Angeles wildfires death toll rises as crews fight heavy winds to save homes and landmarks

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The death toll from the wildfires ravaging the Los Angeles area has risen to 16 as crews battle to cut off the spreading blazes before potentially strong winds return that could push the flames toward some of the city’s most famous landmarks. The Los Angeles County coroner’s office says five of the deaths were attributed to the Palisades Fire and 11 resulted from the Eaton Fire. There were fears that winds could move the fires toward the J. Paul Getty Museum and the University of California, Los Angeles, while new evacuation warnings have more homeowners on edge. The California Office of Emergency Services says 150,000 people in Los Angeles County are under evacuation orders, with more than 700 people taking refuge in nine shelters.… Continue Reading

Hollywood Hills fire breaks out as deadly wildfires burn out of control across Los Angeles area

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A fast-moving fire has broken out in the Hollywood Hills about a mile from the Hollywood Walk of Fame. About 130,000 people were under evacuation orders from out-of-control Los Angeles wildfires Wednesday. At least five people have been killed, and more than 1,000 structures have been destroyed. Three major blazes that erupted Tuesday have grown substantially. The fires have blanketed LA with a thick cloud of smoke and ash and ravaged the city from the Pacific Coast to inland Pasadena. One of the fires has become the most destructive in the modern history of the city of LA.… Continue Reading