Commercial Vehicle Accident Injury Attorneys in Henderson, NC

Two wildfires in Polk and Henderson county now cover nearly 6,000 acres in the Green River Gorge and as another fire in South Carolina has grown, Transylvania County has issued a countywide state of emergency.

More than 50 fire departments and more than 300 personnel from North Carolina and other states are deployed on the ground to combat the Deep Woods Fire and the Black Cove Fire in the Green River Gorge. The two fires remain at 0% containment as fire activity remains "significant," the Polk County Office of Emergency Management said March 25.

In South Carolina, the Table Rock Complex Fire has scorched 1,389 acres and is at 0% containment. Transylvania County, which borders Upstate South Carolina, issued a state of emergency on March 25 in response to the fire.

At 8:51 p.m. Henderson County Emergency Management issued a mandatory evacuation for the "Summer Haven" community in Henderson County, including Macedonia Road east of Interstate 26, Skyland Acres Road, Knight Road, Summer Haven Lane and South Fine Way.

N.C. Forest Service spokesperson E.J. Dwigans provided an update on the size of the fires in the Green River Gorge the evening of March 25.

The two larger fires are burning on state-owned and private land in the Green River Gorge through steep terrain heavily impacted by Tropical Storm Helene. National Weather Service meteorologist Clay Chaney said the area experienced wind gusts between 25-35 mph on March 25, exacerbating firefighters' ability to respond to the fires. North Carolina is currently under a statewide burn ban.

There is no chance of rain until "probably late Saturday night into Sunday," Chaney said. Wind gusts are expected to be between 20-25 mph on March 26, but will decrease March 27-28.

In response to the Black Cove Fire in Polk County, evacuation orders have been issued for residents who live along Lady Slipper Trail, Big Hungry Road, Spurgeon Cove Lane, English Heifer Cove Road, Deer Trail, Scarlets Mountain Road and Green River Cove Road addresses from 1091-1528. In Henderson County, voluntary evacuation orders have been issued for Laurel Mountain View Road and Boulder View Road.

In response to the Deep Woods Fire, evacuation orders have been issued for residents on Fox Paw Lane and from 5079-7265 Holberts Cove Road.

In total, Polk County has issued 165 evacuation orders while Henderson County has issued 29.

Polk County's shelter for wildfire evacuees is located at 75 Carmel Lane in Columbus. Henderson County's emergency shelter is at 708 South Grove St., Hendersonville.

This story will be updated.

Will Hofmann is the Growth and Development Reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA Today Network. Got a tip? Email him at [email protected]. Consider supporting this type of journalism with a subscription to the Citizen Times

Three wildfires in western North Carolina are proving challenging for firefighters to beat because of rough terrain and debris left behind by Hurricane Helene.

The Black Cove, Deep Woods and Fish Hook fires continue burning in Polk County, an area devastated by Helene almost six months ago.

The Black Cove Fire, which began on Wednesday and was started by a downed power line, has burned 2,076 acres and had no containment as of Sunday afternoon.

(Polk County Local Government/Facebook / FOX Weather)

Meanwhile, the Deep Woods Fire is the largest at 1,802 acres and also remains 0% contained.

Evacuation orders are in place for several areas surrounding the Black Cove and Deep Woods fires, officials said.

The communities under evacuation orders in Polk County are near the Henderson County line.

Emergency management officials in Henderson County issued a voluntary evacuation notice on Sunday to residents in the Laurel Mountain View Road and Boulder View Road areas to leave because of the fires in neighboring Polk County.

The Fish Hook Fire has burned 199 acres and is 50% contained. Officials said at least six structures have been lost in the fire.

(Polk County Local Government/Facebook / FOX Weather)

A burn ban is in effect throughout the state of North Carolina as low relative humidity levels create an increased fire danger through Sunday evening.

Other wildfires have erupted over the past week: one in Wilkes County, another in Burke County and a third in Caldwell County.

The Wilkes County fire, called the Old Highway 16 Fire, has burned 200 acres and is 50% contained. Video from the Wilkes County EMS on Facebook shows smoke rising up through the wooded hills from the Old Highway 16 Fire on Saturday afternoon.

A "red" air quality alert was also issued for Polk County on Saturday. The North Carolina Forest Service alerted residents to not go outside for a prolonged period of time.

HENDERSON COUNTY, N.C. (WLOS) — UPDATE (March 25, 2025): The State Department of Environment Quality adjusted its forecast Tuesday morning based on current observations. Polk County has been downgraded to a Code Orange Alert and surrounding counties downgraded to Code Yellow or moderate conditions.

"This is based on satellite imagery and nearby low cost sensor data which shows less smoke impacts to the wider area than in recent days," Tuesday's update read.

State officials urge residents to use their eyes and nose as air quality sensors.

"If you can see and/or smell smoke, fine particulate levels in your area are likely elevated and we suggest taking proper precautions such as remaining indoors when possible," Tuesday's update said.

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The Code Red Air Quality alert has expanded as wildfires in western North Carolina continue to burn.

The North Carolina Department of Environment Quality (NCDEQ) said a Code Red Air Quality Action Day will be in effect Tuesday for Polk, Transylvania, and Henderson counties. A Code Orange Air Quality Action Day will be in place for Rutherford County.

HENDERSON COUNTY PREPARES FOR POSSIBLE WILDFIRE SPREAD WITH EVACUATION SHELTERS READY

Under a Code Orange alert, older adults, children, active people, and those with respiratory issues could feel health effects.

A Code Red alert means prolonged exposure to the air may be unhealthy for anyone. Mountain fire officials encourage the public to limit time outdoors in those areas.

"The weather dictates [air quality alerts]," Kevin Waldrup, the Henderson County Fire Marshal, said. "You may see smoke now, then in two hours you won't have any. We got a lot of smoke reports. If you have respiratory problems, you just need to regulate your amount of time outside."

TOUGH CONDITIONS KEEP LARGE NORTH CAROLINA WILDFIRES AT 0% CONTAINMENT MONDAY

NCDEQ said these latest alerts are in effect until midnight Tuesday evening, but meteorologists will continue to assess the situation and may modify or extend the alerts over the coming days.

For the most up-to-date air quality forecast information, visit the Air Quality Portal. See tips on how to stay safe from wildfire smoke at www.deq.nc.gov.

A set of three wildfires in Western North Carolina have ballooned to cover over 5,750 acres. Local county governments have maintained evacuation orders for residents in response as weather conditions are expected to be dry and windy later into the week of March 24.

The Black Cove Fire and the Deep Woods Fire grew on March 24. Collectively, the two fires span 5,500 acres in Polk and Henderson counties. Forward progress of the Fish Hook Fire, near Lake Adger, has been halted.

There are 263 personnel from across the country helping fight the fire, according to a news release from the N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.

National Weather Service Meteorologist Clay Chaney said wind gusts upward of 30 mph are expected on March 25. Gusts are expected to be higher on ridge tops, he said. Lower wind speeds are expected on March 27. With relatively low humidity throughout the rest of the week, the weather service is not calling for rain until Sunday, March 30.

In response to the Black Cove Fire in Polk County, evacuation orders have been issued for residents that live along Lady Slipper Trail, Big Hungry Road, Spurgeon Cove Lane, English Heifer Cove Road, Deer Trail, Scarlets Mountain Road and Green River Cove Road addresses from 1091-1528. In Henderson County, voluntary evacuation orders have been issued for Laurel Mountain View Road and Boulder View Road.

In response to the Deep Woods Fire, evacuation orders have been issued for residents on Fox Paw Lane and from 5079-7265 Holberts Cove Road.

In total, Polk County has issued 165 evacuation orders while Henderson County has issued 29.

The fire response effort has been hindered by regional impacts from Tropical Storm Helene, as debris remains in forests and some roads are still difficult to navigate after flooding and landslides. On March 23, Polk County Fire Marshal Bobby Arledge called it a "nightmare."

The latest N.C. Forest Service update, issued after 5 p.m., sets the following acreage and containment:

The two larger fires are burning on state-owned and private land in the Green River Gorge through steep terrain, officials said. The morning of March 22, the Black Cove Fire had burned into a section of N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission game land all the way to the Green River. N.C. Forest Service personnel assessed the area on March 23, and found one home destroyed, two structures damaged and one outbuilding destroyed from the fire, which first ignited from a downed power line.

Polk County's shelter for wildfire evacuees is located at 75 Carmel Lane in Columbus.

Henderson County opened an emergency shelter at the county Parks & Recreation Athletics and Activity Center on March 23. The shelter address is 708 South Grove Street, Hendersonville, N.C. 28792.

Residents in multiple counties can expect smoky conditions, with the wildfires impacting the region's air quality. Code Orange alerts from the N.C. Department of Environmental Quality have extended to Henderson, Transylvania and Rutherford counties through midnight on March 24. Older adults, children and those with heart or lung disease may experience health effects.

Firefighters are working to build control lines on both sides of the river to prevent fire spread into neighborhoods and inhabited areas to the west of the fire, the N.C. Forest Service said in the release.

Polk County remains under a Code Red alert for air quality. Code Red means prolonged exposure to the air may be unhealthy for anyone. All residents should consider limiting prolonged or heavy exertion outdoors. Anyone sensitive to air pollution, including children, older adults and people with asthma, should avoid outdoor exertion.

This story will be updated.

Citizen Times public safety reporter Ryley Ober contributing.

Will Hofmann is the Growth and Development Reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA Today Network. Got a tip? Email him at [email protected]. Consider supporting this type of journalism with a subscription to the Citizen Times.

HENDERSON COUNTY, N.C. (WLOS) — The wildfires in Polk County could soon reach other parts of the mountains. Henderson County officials have been in meetings with the NC Forest Service and Polk County first responders.

Laurel Mountain View Road and Boulder View Road are the only parts of Henderson County currently under a voluntary evacuation order. Big Hungry Road, which runs across Henderson and Polk, has had residents leave the area, as well.

"We've asked these people to leave," Henderson County Chief Communications Officer Mike Morgan said. "We recommend that they leave."

FIRE CREWS STRUGGLE WITH STEEP TERRAIN, WIND AS LARGE NORTH CAROLINA WILDFIRES SPREAD

As of Monday afternoon, none of the fires have reached across the Polk/Henderson County line. The Parks and Recreation Center along South Grove Street in Hendersonville opened as an evacuation shelter over the weekend. However, since yesterday, crews have been closely monitoring the situation.

"We've got a lot of volunteer fire departments on standby in those border areas," Morgan confirmed. "Especially near some of the homes where if the fire did jump, we can be there to help protect those homes. We're here to monitor the situation very closely."

That work continued Monday along Macedonia and Knight Road in southern Henderson County.

MAJOR CONSERVATION MILESTONE ACHIEVED AS 1,439-ACRE PINNACLE MOUNTAINS WEST SAFEGUARDED

"We're trying to be proactive," Henderson County Fire Marshal Kevin Waldrup said Monday. "We're looking at the computer data on the fire roads and fire spread. They're prepping homes with defendable space around them. That's to try and prevent those structures from catching [on fire] if the fires reach this area. If it gets dangerous, there will be a mandatory evacuation."

There are ways to protect your own home without the help of firefighters.

"You can do things like blow leaves out of your gutter, blow leaves out from around your deck, take firewood from the side of your house, and just make a defendable space," Waldrup explained. "That can be with leaf blowers or whatever you've got around your home."

Henderson County's website and social media pages will have timely updates on evacuation orders as the week goes on.

Click HERE for the latest updates.