'Leave, or you could be trapped': Wildfires prompt evacuation orders in US' North, South Carolina

Wildfires forced a mandatory evacuation on Sunday in a North Carolina county, while South Carolina declared an emergency in response to a growing wildfire in that state. (AP)

There are three active fires in Polk County, two of which were yet to be containment by Sunday afternoon. A third fire has been 50% contained.

“Visibility in area will be reduced and roads/evacuation routes can become blocked; if you do not leave now, you could be trapped, injured, or killed,” North Carolina Department of Public Safety said in a social media post. (AP)

The North Carolina Forest Service’s online wildfire public viewer indicated active fires in Burke County and in Stokes County on the northern border with Virginia. (AP)

Meanwhile, in South Carolina, governor Henry McMaster declared a state of emergency as firefighting crews in Pickens County fought the Table Rock Fire in the Blue Ridge Mountains. (AP)

That human-caused Table Rock fire grew to more than 300 acres (121 hectares) with no containment, with the steep terrain making it hard for heavier equipment used to contain fires to reach the area. (AP)

The western region of North Carolina was hit hard by Hurricane Helene in September 2024. Helene damaged or impacted 5,000 miles (8,046 kilometers) of state-maintained roads and damaged 7,000 private roads, bridges and culverts in the state. (AP)

The New Jersey Forest Fire Service, too, has been battling a wildfire that broke out in the Wharton State Forest on Saturday. The fire is about 50% contained. (AP)