Officials have declared a state of emergency in a western North Carolina community where wildfires have burned hundreds of acres, several structures and now threaten dozens of homes.
Crews are battling several separate wildfires in Virginia, Tennessee and Kentucky as much of the state faces moderate to severe drought conditions and warmer than normal temperatures.
A 431-acre fire in Henderson County, North Carolina, has destroyed two homes, a cabin and an outbuilding, county officials said in a social media post Sunday declaring an emergency.
Officials have identified 75 other structures at risk and said the fire department is focusing on protecting the structures while the North Carolina Forest Service is focusing on installing fire lines.
Collette Ridge is at more than 675 acres without containment, according to the US Forest Service. US Forest Service
Meanwhile, crews are battling a fire in Cherokee County that has grown to more than 2,100 acres, but is not threatening structures, the US Forest Service said.
The North Carolina Forest Service issued a burn ban on Sunday for 14 counties in the western part of the state because of dangerous wildfire conditions and said it will remain in effect until further notice.
“Some counties in Western North Carolina are currently experiencing severe drought, and we are seeing increased wildfire activity due to the dry conditions. Because the dry conditions are expected to continue this burning ban is necessary to reduce the risk of fires starting and spreading quickly,” the statement said.
A 431-acre fire in Henderson County, North Carolina, has destroyed two homes, a cabin and an outbuilding, county officials said in a social media post Sunday declaring an emergency. US Forest Service
In Virginia, the state Department of Forestry said a wildfire near Madison County has prompted officials to encourage some residents to evacuate as crews work to stop the fire from spreading.
The fire had burned nearly 2,500 acres as of Sunday, but no structures had been affected and firefighters were installing additional fire lines to contain them, the agency said.
In eastern Kentucky, where conditions are also dry, top officials in Harlan County issued a burn ban and state of emergency on Sunday, saying there have been six wildfires in the last three days “which have caused significant stress on first responder agencies.”
A wildfire near Hendersonville on Saturday night.Buncombe County Communications
Two firefighters were injured “while trying to protect life and property,” said Harlan County Judge-Executive Dan Mosley.
In West Virginia, a wildfire estimated at least 500 acres burned on Monday in the Cabin Creek area, southeast of the state capital Charleston.
The Kanawha County Commission is asking the state to issue a complete burn ban for the county. Currently outdoor burning is allowed across the state between 5pm and 7am Dry conditions in the state are expected to continue until Thursday.
Officials have identified 75 other structures at risk and said the fire department is focusing on protecting structures while the North Carolina Forest Service is focusing on installing fire lines. US Forest Service
Crews are battling two fires in East Tennessee including one in Rocky Top, but no injuries have been reported and no structures are in danger, Anderson County officials told the news outlet.
Clinton Fire Department Lt. Daniel Adams said the area was very dry and that combined with leaves covering the ground created conditions ripe for a brush fire.
“Anything as simple as a cigarette being flicked out your window or ignoring some ashes — things we’re not going to worry about right now — we’re very concerned because of the drought,” Adams told WBIR-TV.
Other parts of the US experienced unusually hot temperatures and dry conditions this week. The Dallas-Fort Worth area saw highs in the 80s, about 10 degrees warmer than average.
The warmer weather also extended into the Midwest, where Wichita, Kansas, saw temperatures reach 70 degrees Fahrenheit.
Cold conditions moving into the Central and Southern Plains later this week are expected to push highs back to normal for this time of year.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
