Wildfires Ignite in the Carolinas, Forcing Residents to Leave

On Saturday, blustery winds paired with arid air and unusually high temperatures fueled rapid wildfire outbreaks across the Carolinas. These conditions led officials to hastily evacuate various communities.

In the mountainous regions, brush fires threatened Tryon and Saluda, two small towns positioned roughly 40 miles southward of Asheville, N.C.

Authorities in Polk County reported that multiple firefighting crews were engaged in combating flames near Meadowlark Drive in Tryon, leading to the evacuation of the area. Tryon houses about 1,500 people, while Saluda's population is under 1,000.

Updates on social media from the county revealed that the blaze in Tryon was advancing at a fast pace, prompting a substantial firefighting response.

Simultaneously, a separate fire endangered the Carolina Forest region of South Carolina, situated just beyond Myrtle Beach. As of Saturday evening, the South Carolina Forestry Commission had contained about 75% of this fire.

"Firefighting teams are persisting in their efforts to control this blaze," stated Horry County Fire Rescue, the agency spearheading fire suppression operations, on Saturday night. Several areas in Carolina Forest were under mandatory evacuation orders.

Another incident near Six Mile, S.C., a quaint town around 30 miles west of Greenville, resulted in county officials suggesting evacuations on certain roads; although, by Saturday night, these suggestions had not escalated into ordered evacuations.

These fires erupted while a substantial part of the southeastern United States was subject to a high-fire-risk advisory issued by the National Weather Service.

Accelerating the spread of the fires were potent winds, dry air, and afternoon temperatures topping the 70-degree mark.

A significant contributing factor was South Carolina’s notably scant rainfall in February, which left much of the vegetation parched. For instance, Myrtle Beach has accumulated only 2.30 inches of precipitation since early January, compared to the typical 6.30 inches expected. North Carolina fared slightly better yet still faced below-average rain.

The likelihood of wildfires was anticipated to diminish as winds subsided later in the night, coinciding with the expiry of red flag warnings at 10 p.m. on Saturday.