Brush fires fueled by gusty winds and dry conditions that broke in North and South Carolina persisted on Sunday, prompting the authorities to order evacuations in several communities.
A brush fire along the South Carolina coast was threatening Carolina Forest, just west of Myrtle Beach. Dramatic video from Sunday morning showed firefighters battling flames as the fire neared houses. No homes had yet been lost, according to local news reports, but many had been damaged.
Several neighborhoods in Carolina Forest were still being evacuated early Sunday morning. Emergency services warned drivers to be aware of low visibility from smoke.
The fires ignited while a large portion of the southeastern United States was under a red-flag warning, an alert from the National Weather Service indicating a high risk of fires. Most of those warnings expired late Saturday night.
On Saturday afternoon, a brush fire in the mountains was threatening Tryon and Saluda, small communities in the Blue Ridge Mountains about 40 miles south of Asheville, N.C.
Polk County officials said multiple fire departments were responding to a blaze threatening Meadowlark Drive in Tryon, which was evacuated. Tryon’s population is about 1,500, and Saluda’s less than 1,000.
The county said on social media that the Tryon brush fire was spreading rapidly.
Another fire broke out near Six Mile, S.C., a rural town about 30 miles west of Greenville. County officials there had recommended evacuations along several streets but, as of Saturday evening, no evacuations had been ordered.
Gusty winds, dry air and afternoon high temperatures in the low 70s helped fuel the rapid spread of the fires.
Another factor: South Carolina had unusually low rainfall in February, and the vegetation is dry.
For instance, Myrtle Beach, has recorded 2.30 inches of rain since Jan. 1, compared with 6.30 inches of rain that is considered normal for this time of year. North Carolina was a bit wetter last month, though it also received below-average rainfall.
Claire Fahy contributed reporting.
