(The Center Square) – Burning permits became available and the ban from burning covering all 100 North Carolina counties was lifted Wednesday, the same day three teens were arrested in South Carolina related to the Table Rock fire near Pickens.
Conditions that fueled multiple wildfires in the Carolinas, in part from downed trees caused by Hurricane Helene six months ago, are significantly improved. North Carolina Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler said recent wildfire activity is a reminder “to remain vigilant about burning safely and responsibly.”
In South Carolina, arrests were made by Forestry Commission law enforcement officials of Nyzaire Jah-Neiz Marsh, 19, of Taylors; Tristan Tyler, 18, of Greenville; and Isaac Wilson, 18, of Greenville. The South Carolinians are charged with a single count each of “negligently allowing fire to spread to lands or property of another,” a release says.
A fourth suspect, a juvenile, is also charged with the same offense though he was not booked, the release said.
The Forestry Commission says it has evidence linking the trio to smoking and not extinguishing cigarettes in a proper and safe manner, leading to the Table Rock fire.
Five South Carolina counties – Oconee, Pickens, Greenville, Spartanburg and Horry – remain under an outdoor burning ban.
The Table Rock fire, the commission said, has gotten about 1.5 inches of rain over a two-day period this week. The size is 13,287 acres, with 635 of those in North Carolina. The fire started March 21 and is about 30% contained. The Persimmon Ridge fire, ignited March 22, is about 2,078 acres and 74% contained.
In North Carolina, containment has grown to 100% for the Fish Hook fire, 93% for the Black Cove fire, and 60% for the Deep Woods fire. The three are considered a complex under the name Black Cove, covering 7,670 acres (Deep Woods 3,969 acres, Black Cove 3,502, and Fish Hook 199).
While conditions have been helped by the rain, the North Carolina Forest Service said conditions are slick and slippery for firefighters.
