(CNN) — Even as conditions improved, heavy smoke persisted Monday across the Carolinas as firefighters battle wildfires scorching parts of the region.
“There is heavy, low-hanging smoke blanketed across the area this morning,” Horry County Fire Rescue said in a Facebook post. “This will limit some visibility for motorists and residents.”
The Carolina Forest Fire, about five miles north of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, is estimated to be 1,600 acres and 30% contained, the South Carolina Forestry Commission said.
It was among 163 wildfires burning 5,483 acres across the state, the South Carolina Forestry Commission said Monday.
Lower wind speeds and cooler temperatures are expected Monday but an elevated fire risk continues.
“Another very dry day…” the National Weather Service Greenville-Spartanburg said. “While winds are expected to be light and temperatures still on the cool side of normal, dry vegetation combined with the dry air will once again result in increased wildfire danger.”
A statewide burn ban issued Saturday remains in effect as dozens of wildfires flared across the state – many of which have since been contained. Residents who had evacuated were allowed to reenter the neighborhood Sunday evening, according to the Forestry Commission.
South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster declared a state of emergency Sunday to support wildfire efforts across the state.
The fire threat continues for the region, including near Wilmington, North Carolina, and Columbia, South Carolina, the National Weather Service warned.
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.
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, Saluda Fire and Rescue said in a post that night.
By Sunday evening, the fire had burned over 500 acres and was 30% contained, according to Polk County Emergency Management. Several fire departments were responding to the blaze, Polk County officials said.
Some residents near the highway were ordered to evacuate Saturday afternoon by Tryon authorities.
“Residents can expect a heavy fire department presence in the Bear Creek, Hanging Rock, Rhododendron Dr., Oceanview Dr., and Meadow Lark Dr. areas as crews work to protect homes and reduce fire fuels,” Saluda Fire and Rescue said.
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.
Tryon and Saluda are just north of the North Carolina-South Carolina border, around 25 miles southeast of Asheville, North Carolina.
Fire crews were sent Saturday night to contain a large wooded fire near Myrtle Beach, a popular tourist area, fire officials said, while residents in several homes in the nearby Carolina Forest area were ordered to evacuate.
Despite weaker winds and cooler temperatures Sunday, dry air combined with dry vegetation due to lack of recent rainfall are keeping the wildfire danger high across the Carolinas and northeast Georgia.
Lighter winds will continue through Tuesday as temperatures warm to close to 60 degrees and more humid air returns to the region.
The-CNN-Wire
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