Mandatory evacuation orders remain in place as crews continue working to contain three wildfires in Polk County. Three fires in the western North Carolina county south of Asheville have burned more than 4,800 acres.
As of Sunday night, residents along Lady Slipper Trail, Green River Cove Road, Big Hungry Road, Spurgeon Cove Lane, English Heifer Cove Road, Deer Trail and Scarlets Mountain Road are under mandatory evacuation, according to officials with N.C. Forest Service.
A statewide burn ban issued Friday morning remains in effect as warm, dry and breezy weather continues.
The N.C. Emergency Management division said Sunday that a federal grant to help battle the western wildfire had been approved and that the agency is assisting in Polk County with communications, personnel and the N.C. Helo-Aquatic Rescue Team, which includes a Black Hawk helicopter that can carry out rescues if firefighters need evacuation.
A Code Red Air Quality Alert is in place for Polk County because of the fires, and a Code Orange Alert continued in neighboring Henderson, Transylvania and Rutherford counties, state environmental officials said. Smoke from fires in South Carolina is also impacting air quality in the area.
North Carolina Forest Service officials held a community meeting Sunday afternoon for Polk County residents affected by the fires. A shelter is open for impacted residents at 75 Carmel Lane in Columbus.
Brush fires were burning elsewhere in the state Sunday, including two in Caldwell County had consumed about 55 acres.
In South Carolina, the governor declared an emergency in response to a growing wildfire in the Blue Ridge Mountains. The Table Rock Fire in Pickens County started Friday.
“As this wildfire continues to spread, the State of Emergency allows us to mobilize resources quickly and ensure our firefighters have the support they need to protect lives and property,” South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster said in a statement.
Related: Wildfires prompt evacuation in the Carolinas as New Jersey crews battle their own blaze
North Carolina officials said Friday that high winds and terrain in the mountainous western part of the state created challenges for firefighters in Polk County. Visibility was reduced, and they warned that roads and evacuation routes may become blocked.
Related: Forest officials issue statewide burn ban
The Fish Hook Fire, near Lake Adger, on Green River Cove Road started due to a downed power line and had burned more than 199 acres as of Monday morning, according to the N.C. Forest Service. The fire was 50% contained.
Polk County officials said late Saturday that residents of the Lake Adger subdivision could return after an evacuation order was lifted but added that other such orders remained in effect. At least six buildings were destroyed in the fire, officials said.
The Deep Woods Fire on Piney Mountain Road had burned more than 2,545 acres as of Monday morning, with 0% containment, according to the Forest Service. This fire has claimed one building, with another damaged, Polk County officials said.
The Black Cove Fire, which started off Green River Cove Road, was at more than 2,096 acres with 0% containment as of Monday morning, according to the Forest Service.
"To prevent the fire from spreading into neighborhoods and inhabited areas to the west of the fire, firefighting personnel are constructing control lines on both sides of the river," N.C. Forest Service officials posted Sunday evening.
Firefighters from across North Carolina have been focusing on battling the blazes in the mountains, and the statewide ban on open burning has helped reduce the chances of new outbreaks elsewhere, the Forest Service said on Sunday.
Gov. Josh Stein urged residents to heed evacuation guidance in a post Sunday afternoon.
North Carolina's western region already had been hit hard by Hurricane Helene in September. The storm damaged or affected 5,000 miles of state-maintained roads and 7,000 private roads, bridges and culverts in the state.