Devastating flooding from Hurricane Helene hit the region in September. (Credit: Timothy/Adobe Stock)
Large wildfires are burning through the mountains of both North and South Carolina, just months after Hurricane Helene brought heavy rains and flooding to the region.
In North Carolina, at least eight fires were burning in the mountains as of Thursday. The fires have burned roughly 10 square miles combined, and the two largest — the Black Cove Fire and the Deep Woods Fire — were 17% and 30% contained, respectively, as of Thursday evening.
In South Carolina, the Table Rock Fire has burned 7.1 square miles and a neighboring fire, just 8 miles away, on Persimmon Ridge has burned 2.4 square miles.
Thousands of residents in the wildfire areas have been asked to evacuate. So far, no deaths have been reported due to the fires, and only a few dozen structures have been damaged.
Hurricane Helene brought heavy rain and flooding to the area last September, particularly western North Carolina. The storms were then followed by a warm winter and an early spring, creating drought conditions.
Trees felled by the hurricane are serving as kindling for the fire while also making it harder for firefighters to access some areas. “It is nearly impossible to get through this stuff,” said firefighter Toby Cox, in a Thursday video briefing.
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