Energy & Environment

Polk County fires exceed 3,000 acres

BPR News | By Gerard Albert III,

Published March 21, 2025 at 3:10 PM EDT

NC Forest Service Section Chief Brian Rogers gives an update on the Polk County fires at a community meeting on Sunday, March 23, 2025.

Updated Saturday, March 22 at 9:45 p.m.

There is mandatory evacuation for 5079-7265 Holberts Cove Road on North Side and Fox Paw Lane. There is also an evacuation order for Green River Cove address from 1091-1528 and all of Lady Slipper Trail.

Evacuees may go to the shelter located at 75 Carmel Lane in Columbus.

Residents who need to evacuate with pets or large animals can receive assistance from Animal Services, according to a Facebook post from Polk County Government.

"If you need help loading, trailering, transporting or housing large animals or are evacuating and need a place for your pets, please call Patti Lovelace at 828-817-7984."

The evacuation order has been lifted for the Fish Hook Fire in Lake Adger Subdivision. Residents from the Lake Adger subdvision can safely return to their homes, according to the Polk County Emergency Management.

Residents are invited to a community meeting tomorrow, Sunday March 23, 2025, at 2 p.m. at 40 Courthouse St, Columbus NC 28722, where the Fire Service will share more details about the status of the three fires.

Local officials are asking residents not to bring donations to fire stations but to instead drop them at one of two designated locations: Foothills Community Church at 2720 Landrum Road in Columbus or Friendship Baptist Church at Friendship Church Road in Saluda.

More than 3,000 acres on fire

Wildfires have spread to more than 3,000 acres in Polk County, forcing residents to evacuate and diminishing air quality in the area.

See a map of the wildfire areas.

The Black Cove Fire started along Green River Cove Road and was caused by a downed power line, according to North Carolina Forest Service Public Information Officer E.J. Dwigans.

The fire was 1,239 acres with 0% containment, as of Saturday evening at 9 p.m.

The Deep Woods fire spread to 1,730 acres and remained 0% contained, Dwigans told BPR.

One house was a complete loss and two structures were damaged, according to Polk County Public Information Officer Kelly Cannon.

The initial cause is still under investigation, Dwigans told BPR.

Crews from the Charlotte Fire Department pump water to help fight the wildfires in Polk County. — Crews from the Charlotte Fire Department pump water to help fight the wildfires in Polk County on March 22, 2025.

The Fish Hook Fire started Thursday evening because of a downed power line, he said.

The fire consumed 199 acres and is 50% contained, according to Dwigans. Three houses were lost and one structure was damaged, Cannon said.

High wind, lack of humidity and lack of rain created dangerous conditions for wildfires, Dwigans said.

Silver Creek Baptist Church in Mill Spring served as the command post but Dwigans said firefighters will move to a larger facility, the Tryon Equestrian Center, on Sunday morning.

The North Carolina Forest Service is running the containment efforts with assistance from multiple fire departments including Avery County, Henderson County, Charlotte, Waynesville and Saluda departments. More than 450 firefighters are working to contain the fires, Cannon said in an update Saturday evening.

Debris and weather compound challenges

The blazes come as the state Agriculture Commissioner issued a statewide burn ban due to dry conditions.

Without a change in weather conditions, officials said, it could be days before the fires are contained.

"It's not really working out for us," Dwigans said Saturday afternoon.

Downed trees from Hurricane Helene are also hindering firefighting efforts.

“The main impact that we're seeing is access issues,” he told BPR on Friday. “Our crews are having to spend a lot of time cutting through down trees with chainsaws just to get to where the fire is to begin to establish containment lines. Our crews are spent by the time they even get into these fires. Some of the bridges and roads that we see on older topo maps are no longer available to us.”

In addition to access challenges, debris remaining from the storm provides ready fuel for the fires.

"This area of Green River Cove road was hit very hard during Hurricane Helene," Cannon told BPR on Saturday. "There was a lot of vegetative debris that was on the ground."

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has been working on removing the debris, she said.

Diminished air quality

The county is under a Code Red air quality action day alert, issued by the state Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Air Quality.

"Prolonged exposure to the air may be unhealthy for anyone," the alert cautions. "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."

The division offers suggestions for managing poor air quality including creating a clean room and using DIY air cleaners.