North and South Carolina Declare State of Emergency Due Wildfire
Photo: x/ @MarioNawfal
March 23, 2025 Hour: 6:41 pm
Authorities in North Carolina and South Carolina have ordered evacuations and declared a state of emergency, respectively, due to wildfires that began this week and have already ravaged several hectares.
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The North Carolina Department of Public Safety ordered the evacuation of parts of Polk County, in the west of the state, on Saturday, although it is unknown how many people have been affected. On Sunday, it was reported that firefighters continue to battle three fires in the area.
The evacuation order included a warning to the population and the availability of shelters for the displaced. “Visibility in the area will be reduced and evacuation routes may be blocked; if you don’t leave now, you could be trapped, injured or killed,” the North Carolina Department of Public Safety warned on X.
The agency reminded on X this Sunday that the ban on outdoor burning remains in effect, in part due to the mobilization of firefighters from across the state to combat the “large-scale fires in the mountains.”
“This leaves other areas of the state with less first responder personnel available. Burn bans help us focus our resources on the most affected communities and reduce the number of new fires in other areas,” it said.
Polk County spokesperson Kellie Cannon reported that the Black Cove and Deep Woods fires “are close to merging and are only separated by a road.” A red air quality alert was also issued in the county “due to the high density of smoke,” according to The New York Times.
South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster declared a state of emergency due to the Table Rock fire in the Blue Ridge Mountains, which has already exceeded 300 acres and continues to expand.
The state ban on outdoor burning is maintained, with severe penalties for those who violate it, to ensure that firefighters have the resources necessary to fight the fire.
Access to the fire area is hampered by the steep terrain and persistence of new outbreaks, exacerbated by an abundance of flammable material from trees felled by a recent hurricane.
The National Meteorological Service has issued red flag warnings due to weather conditions favourable for fire spread in the region.
Autor: ACJ
Fuente: EFE // newsweek