A home destroyed by a fire is seen on March 23, 2025, in Columbus, 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.
Allison Joyce, Getty Images
Important Takeaways:
- Parts of western North Carolina, still reeling from devastating floods driven by Hurricane Helene in September, are now under siege from wildfires.
- Firefighters converged on rural Polk County to battle at least three blazes that have scorched over 5,700 acres, destroyed at least three homes and multiple other buildings, and forced mandatory evacuations. The fire response effort has been hindered by regional impacts from Helene, as debris remains in forests and some roads.
- The two largest blazes in what’s known as the Black Cove Complex fires have burned more than 5,500 acres in Polk County and were 0% contained late Monday, the state Forest Service said. Both have been burning since Wednesday and gained ground Monday despite the efforts of 263 firefighters from North Carolina and eight other states.
- “The Black Cove Fire is moving into Henderson County along Big Hungry Creek Road, where firefighters are attempting to slow the spread of the fire and protect structures,” the Forest Service said in a late-afternoon update Monday.
- Dry conditions that have prevailed in the area for weeks are expected overnight and later in the week, along with windy conditions on Tuesday and Wednesday.
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