Wildfires Prompt Evacuations And An Emergency Declaration In The Carolinas

SALUDA, NORTH CAROLINA – MARCH 23: Debris and downed trees from Hurricane Helene are seen blocking a possible bulldozer path during The Black Cove Fire on March 23, 2025 in Saluda, North Carolina. According to authorities evacuation orders were issued Sunday for parts of Polk County, North Carolina, where three large wildfires have burned more than 3,000 acres combined, with two of the blazes remaining out of control. (Photo by Allison Joyce/Getty Images)

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.