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Smoke and flames from the Deep Woods Fire are seen 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)

More evacuations as wildfires burn in the Carolinas. Forecasts aren’t encouraging for firefighters

More people have been asked to leave their homes in the North Carolina and South Carolina mountains as wildfires spread and the forecast for the rest of the week is not encouraging — dry and windy.

A half-dozen large fires are burning in the Blue Ridge Mountains, putting a lot more gray into the landscape and spreading smoke into places like Greenville.

Millions of fallen trees from September’s Hurricane Helene are both providing fuel for the wildfires and blocking the logging roads and paths firefighters use to fight the blazes and create fire breaks.

Dry conditions, wind and trees downed by Hurricane Helene fueled wildfires in North Carolina and South Carolina, where evacuation orders were in effect Tuesday. (AP Video)

Firefighters have managed to save most of the structures near the fires. Only one injury has been reported — a firefighter in North Carolina got his leg caught under a tree, officials said. At least 15 square miles (39 square kilometers) have burned.

Discouraging forecasts

There is rain in the forecast for the weekend, but it isn’t the kind of soaking downpour that can knock a fire out on its own, said National Weather Service meteorologist Ashley Rehnberg in Greer, South Carolina.

“Hopefully that will at least calm things down briefly,” Rehnberg said.

The bright spot in the forecast for the next week is there is no especially dangerous day where the winds and the dry weather reach potentially disastrous levels like in Los Angeles in January or Gatlinburg, Tennessee, in 2016.

Forestry agencies in North Carolina and South Carolina are already figuring out how to rotate teams of firefighters into and out of the mountains for what could be a long fight.

“Burn bans are in place and people need to follow them,” Rehnberg said. “Even if we do get rain, the weather is going to continue to be a problem as far as we can forecast.”

South Carolina fire update

South Carolina fire officials called for their first round of evacuations Tuesday night. Two fires are burning — a larger one inside Table Rock State Park in Pickens County that has burned 3.6 square miles (9.3 square kilometers) and another one on Persimmon Ridge in Greenville County has burned 1.6 square miles (4 square kilometers).

The fires are about 8 miles (12.5 kilometers) apart and winds are strong enough that authorities decided to evacuate the area between the two fires.

North Carolina fire update

About two dozen homes and outbuildings have been destroyed in Polk County, spokesperson Kellie Cannon said in the latest update.

Three fires have burned at least 9.6 square miles (25 square kilometers) in Polk County and in neighboring Henderson County.

Late Tuesday, a wildfire started in far western North Carolina not far from Bryson City. Police were evacuating some people as the fire spread to nearly 1 square mile (1.6 square kilometers).

Authorities tell people to stop burning

The fires in South Carolina have been caused by humans.

Authorities from local fire chiefs all the way to South Carolina’s governor are urging people to heed burn bans in both states and stop setting fires to burn garbage or at campsites.

“We have people going out in the woods and in their backyards and starting fires when the wind is blowing and everything is dry,” South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster said. “We just have to use common sense. People get out in nature and they forget how dangerous it can be.