A massive wildfire in the South Carolina mountains has doubled in size each day for the past three days. However, fire crews have successfully kept the flames away from structures.
Firefighters working to contain the Table Rock Mountain fire have prioritized protecting lives and property, focusing on cutting fire breaks to steer the blaze northward through undeveloped land in the Pickens County ridges near the North Carolina state line, officials reported Friday. No injuries have been reported.
Aircraft have completed more than 550 water-dropping missions on the Table Rock fire, as well as on a second blaze burning on Persimmon Ridge, about eight miles away.
For now, efforts remain defensive in the Blue Ridge Mountains until weather conditions improve, either with a soaking rain or calmer winds, South Carolina Forester Scott Phillips said during a news conference Friday at Table Rock State Park.
“With these fires and the conditions we are facing in the state right now — the dryness of the fuel, the extremely low humidity, the high winds that we’re having — containment is very, very difficult to achieve,” Phillips said.
North Carolina Wildfires
The Table Rock and Persimmon Ridge fires have burned approximately 17 square miles. The Table Rock fire, which ignited a week ago, has been rapidly growing since Tuesday due to strong winds and dry conditions in the region.
Meanwhile, in North Carolina, at least eight wildfires are currently burning in the mountains. The largest, the Black Cove Fire and Deep Woods Fire in Polk County, have burned about 10 square miles combined but have shown little growth in recent days as containment efforts progress.
While these fires have garnered significant attention, the overall wildfire season has already been unusually intense. A combination of drought conditions and the aftermath of Hurricane Helene six months ago—when millions of trees were knocked down—has created a dangerous fuel source for fires and obstructed firefighters’ access to active blazes.
South Carolina Wildfires“It will be a continuing issue for the next several years. It’s going to change the way we have to attack fires in the mountains of South Carolina,” Phillips said.
Assisting the state Forestry Commission, firefighters have battled 373 wildfires across South Carolina in March alone, scorching over 28 square miles of land.
“That’s orders of magnitude more than we typically do within a month — even more than we do in some years as far as the number of acres burned,” Phillips said.
April is historically the most dangerous month for wildfires, and long-term weather forecasts suggest conditions are unlikely to improve soon.
“This is going to be a long season for us,” Phillips added.
A ban on outdoor burning has been in place for over a week in South Carolina, with no indication from officials on when it might be lifted.
Governor Henry McMaster reminded residents that violating the burn ban could result in jail time and that anyone who starts a fire—even unintentionally—could be held responsible for the damage caused.
“You go out and start a fire and you burn your neighbor’s house down — you owe them a house,” McMaster warned.
Weather Outlook
The upcoming weekend forecast brings some optimism. Winds are expected to calm overnight, and rain is predicted for Sunday and Monday. However, the National Weather Service does not anticipate the kind of prolonged rainfall that firefighters need.
“We’re going to get it out,” McMaster said of the wildfires. “We’re hoping we are going to have some rain, have some help. Everybody put that in your prayers.”