Winds, dry conditions threaten to fan wildfires scorching parts of the Carolinas
WMBF, CNN
By Karina Tsui, Lauren Mascarenhas, Chris Boyette and Meteorologist Gene Norman, CNN
(CNN) — Heavy smoke is still hanging over parts of the Carolinas as crews battle wildfires scorching some areas of the region and authorities warn strong winds and dry weather could fan fire conditions.
The Carolina Forest Fire, about five miles north of the popular tourist area Myrtle Beach, had grown to more than 2,000 acres and remained at 30% containment on Monday evening, according to the South Carolina Forestry Commission.
A storm moving across the central and southern US could threaten firefighting efforts Tuesday, bringing stronger winds to the region before helpful rain arrives on Wednesday. Winds will increase Tuesday to around 15 mph with gusts blowing 20-25 mph near the Carolina Forest Fire.
“The combination of dry fuels, increasing afternoon winds and limited rainfall during the past couple weeks, will lead to continued dangerous and adverse fire behavior today across Southeast NC and Northeast SC,” the National Weather Service in Wilmington said.
Horry County Fire rescue crews have been operating the Carolina Forest Fire in five divisions, the commission said – and have set up portable sprinklers to saturate the ground. The department also conducted reconnaissance of the fire from above using drones.
Two UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters and a CH-47 Chinook have also been deployed to help suppress the blaze, the South Carolina National Guard said. Crews on Sunday completed 102 bucket drops of nearly 60,000 gallons of water on the Carolina Forest Fire, the National Guard said in a post on X.
South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster declared a state of emergency Sunday to support wildfire efforts across the state.
The Carolina Forest Fire, the largest in the two states, was among dozens burning 5,483 acres in South Carolina, officials said Monday.
The South Carolina Department of Environmental Services issued an air quality alert for fine particulates for Horry County until further notice, blaming high pressure in the region Monday and Tuesday for “minimizing smoke dispersion from numerous wildfires in the area.”
Horry County Fire Rescue advised motorists to stay off the roads through Tuesday morning due to the potential for continued heavy smoke, but said the haze is expected to dissipate moving into midday.
A statewide burn ban issued Saturday remains in effect as wildfires flared across the state – many of which have since been contained. Residents who had evacuated were allowed to reenter their neighborhoods Sunday evening, according to the forestry commission.
Myrtle Beach has only seen 2.3 inches of rainfall this year and is running over 4 inches below average. All of Horry County is in a moderate drought, according to the latest numbers from the US Drought Monitor.
In neighboring North Carolina, firefighters have continued to battle blazes totaling nearly 500 acres across four of the state’s forests, as similarly dry and windy conditions to South Carolina are expected to exacerbate the spread of fires.
The US Forest Service said Monday that the combination of “dry fuels, limited rainfall, and very low humidity” could lead to a heightened risk of “adverse fire behavior.” It cautioned residents to avoid outdoor burning and to remain vigilant on fire restrictions.
A warmer, drier climate has contributed to more intense and destructive wildfires, according to the US Geological Survey.
Typically, South Carolina faces around 5,000 wildfires a year, burning almost 30,000 acres, according to the state Emergency Management Division. Similarly, North Carolina saw 4,588 wildfires in 2024, which burned over 15,000 acres.
US Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said Monday she had been in touch with the governors of North and South Carolina. “DHS stands ready to help should local emergency management directors request it,” Noem said.
How the wildfires unfolded
Fire crews were sent Saturday night to contain a large wooded fire near Myrtle Beach, officials said, while residents in several homes in the nearby Carolina Forest area were ordered to evacuate.
Those residents have been authorized to return to their homes, Horry County Fire Rescue officials said in an update on Sunday evening.
A passenger aboard a flight into Myrtle Beach on Saturday night captured video of a mass of smoke and fire billowing up into the sky from the plane window.
“It was quite terrifying to fly home to,” the passenger, Becca Ann, told CNN.
In western North Carolina, near the towns of Tryon and Saluda, a brush fire caused by a power line that fell Saturday along US Highway 176 spread quickly up a nearby mountain and threatened several structures, according to a Saluda Fire and Rescue post.
Residents near the highway were told to evacuate Saturday afternoon, but most orders had been lifted by Monday, according to Polk County officials. They added that there had been reports of outside fires around North Carolina on Monday.
Tryon and Saluda are just north of the North Carolina-South Carolina border, around 25 miles southeast of Asheville, North Carolina.
In South Carolina, the past 30 years have been warmer than any other consecutive 30-year period on record, and summer precipitation has decreased, according to the Strategic Statewide Resilience and Risk Reduction Plan completed in 2023 from the South Carolina Office of Resilience.
While extreme rainfall in North Carolina has increased in the recent past, rising temperatures have increased the harshness of naturally occurring droughts, according to the state’s Climate Science Report.
The severity of recent large wildfires – such as fires that ravaged Los Angeles in January – was due to environmental factors related to climate change, studies conducted by analyzing data mostly from major fires in the western United States have concluded.
While fires would likely have occurred if there was no climate pollution, they would have been “smaller and less intense,” research from scientists at the University of California-Los Angeles said.
CNN’s Sara Smart and Zoe Sottile contributed to this report.
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