If you live anywhere near the American Southeast, you may already be prepared to hunker down for hurricanes, earthquakes and even the occasional tornado. Unfortunately, residents across both North and South Carolina found themselves surrounded by another terrifying threat this week, as numerous wildfires broke out across the region. Unlike the common wildfires which frequently rage their way across the West Coast, these blazes are mostly disconnected and broken up across the states.
While this makes the natural disaster marginally less dangerous than events like the Palisades fire which recently caused tens of billions of dollars in damage, it does little to help the many Carolina residents dealing with the immediate fallout. As of this writing, South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster has already called a state of emergency regarding the fires, since lower-than-average humidity and dry weather conditions are exacerbating the situation. Here’s a brief overlook of everything we know about the fires at this time.
There Are Hundreds of Fires Across Both States
As stated, most of the Carolina wildfires are relatively small. Unfortunately, there are hundreds of individual infernos to worry about, leaving firefighters scrambling to mitigate the damage as evenly and effectively as possible. South Carolina reports 175 wildfires across the state, accounting for more than 4,000 acres of afflicted land. North Carolina, by the same token, touts a staggering 200 fires spanning 2,100 acres. Portions of Eastern Georgia are also impacted by the fires, and nearly all surrounding states are seeing an overall decrease in air quality thanks to the massive quantity of smoke. The blazes themselves stretch all over the Southeast, impacting everything from the Blue Ridge Mountains to the Myrtle Beach coastline. Luckily, fire crews have been able to successfully snuff out most of the impacted area surrounding North Carolina’s national forests over the weekend, so they are making some major headway.
The worst blazes in the area include those terrorizing the Pee Dee region of South Carolina, as well as North Carolina’s Polk County, just outside of Fayetteville. A 175-acre blaze has also been spotted just on the other side of the city, meaning emergency responders are working extra hard to prevent the two massive infernos from merging. There were even a few evacuation orders issued over the weekend, which included areas such as Horry, Spartanburg, Oconee, Union and Pickens counties. Luckily, most of the evacuation orders have been lifted at the time of this writing, as first responders seem to be doing an excellent job keeping things contained. Residents have obviously been urged to avoid afflicted areas when possible even as evacuation orders come to a close.
What Caused the Carolina Fires?
Authorities remain largely mixed on what specifically has caused these fires. Given that there are so many disconnected blazes raging at once, investigators have ruled out any possibility of arson or other man-made causes. Careless debris burning remains one of the most frequent sources of wildfires such as these, though there doesn’t seem to be any evidence of such for the massive blazes. One particular blaze in Saluda, North Carolina is confirmed to have begun with a downed power line. The Melrose Fire, as it has come to be called, sparked at the base of the Blue Ridge Mountains and rapidly spread up the mountainside, according to Saluda’s fire and rescue department.
While wildfires such as these can be common, first responders have identified one key reason why the many blazes have gotten so out of hand in the last few days. Apparently, the entire region of the American Southeast has been experiencing unseasonably dry periods, along with an overall lack of humidity. This, combined with the excess of brush, grass and fallen trees from recent wind storms, has created a hotbed of conditions for fires to spread far and wide. South Carolina National Guardsmen have mobilized with UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters to mitigate dry forests over the weekend, dropping more than 1,800 gallons of water from above. As responders continue to get the fires under control, conditions are expected to loosen up, with high humidity and rain forecasted on Wednesday (Mar. 5).
Are Wildfires Common in North Carolina?
Traditionally speaking, wildfires are not very common along the East Coast of the United States. North Carolina is home to a variety of perennial natural disasters, with significantly fewer wildfires than states along the Southwest such as Arizona, Nevada and Southern California. Unfortunately, wildfire rates seem to be rising throughout the Carolinas, accounting for several notable blazes in recent years. This could be caused by several factors, including global temperature rises, higher-than-average forest density and man-made climate change. While California is equipped and well prepared for fires of this variety to break out, those in areas like Myrtle Beach are significantly less accustomed to things like fire insurance, evacuations and basic home prep in a wildfire’s path.
With the newly minted Trump administration’s ongoing war against climate change activism, it seems likely that conditions such as these will only continue to worsen in the coming years. The good news is, fires can be manageable as long as we respect our first responders, take heed of burning bans and evacuate when the emergency order is passed down. The bad news is, many people lose their homes, loved ones and lives in fires each year, even when they’re seemingly well prepared for disaster to strike. For now, all that the average Carolina resident can do is read up on fire safety and preparedness, and hope for the best.
