(The Center Square) – Carolinas wildfires in areas where Hurricane Helene knocked down trees by the tens of thousands have complicated extinguishing efforts.
The Black Cove Fire in North Carolina’s Polk County on Monday was moving toward neighboring Henderson County. It’s one of three in the county that got only a douse of rain early in the day, with one-tenth expected overnight into Tuesday.
Chinook helicopters from the U.S. Forest Service have supplied drops to help the battle since the weekend. The fires started late last week.
According to published reports, the Deep Woods Fire has burned more than 2,500 acres and the Black Cove Fire more than 2,000 acres – each with no containment. The Fish Hook Fire, at Lake Adger, has burned 199 acres and has about 50% containment.
A power line down sparked the Black Cove Fire. Investigations are ongoing for the others.
Multiple areas have had mandatory evacuations. Six structures have been burned in Polk County just west of Charlotte.
In South Carolina’s mountains, fires are at the Table Rock State Park in Pickens County and on Persimmon Ridge in Greenville County. Table Rock is reported more than 2 square miles and Persimmon Ridge more than 1.25 square miles.
Evacuations in South Carolina are voluntary. There have been no reports of structures burned.
Helene struck the Carolinas mountains in September, coming ashore in Delke Beach, Fla., on Sept. 26 and moving north. Most of its damage was in North Carolina, where governors past and present – Roy Cooper in October, Josh Stein since taking office in January – estimated damage at $53 billion and $60 billion, respectively.
California was devastated by wildfires in January. According to the California Department of Fire and Forestry Protection, the 2025 incident report includes nearly 600 wildfires, 29 fatalities and more than 58,000 acres burned. It also says more than 16,000 structures have been destroyed.
