Wildfires rage in Carolinas as dry conditions and gusty winds fuel blazes

Crews battled wildfires in North and South Carolina on Sunday amid dry conditions and gusty winds and evacuations were ordered in some areas.

The National Weather Service warned of increased fire danger in the region due to a combination of critically dry fuels and very low relative humidity.

In South Carolina, Gov. Henry McMaster declared a state of emergency on Sunday to support the wildfire response effort, and a statewide burning ban remained in effect.

Crews worked to contain a fire in the Carolina Forest area west of the coastal resort city of Myrtle Beach, where residents were ordered to evacuate several neighborhoods, according to Horry County Fire Rescue. Late Sunday afternoon, the fire department announced that Carolina Forest evacuees could return home.

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The South Carolina Forestry Commission estimated Sunday afternoon that the blaze was burning about 1.9 square miles (4.9 square kilometers) with zero percent containment. No structures had succumbed to the blaze and no injuries had been reported as of Sunday morning, officials said.

The 410 personnel involved in the effort were expected to remain until the fire was contained, county fire officials said.

In North Carolina, the U.S. Forest Service said fire crews were working to contain multiple wildfires burning in four forests across the state on Sunday. The largest, about 400 acres (162 hectares), was at Uwharrie National Forest, about 50 miles (80.47 kilometers) east of Charlotte. The Forest Service said Sunday afternoon that it had made progress on the fire, reaching about one-third containment.

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The small southwestern town of Tryon in Polk County, North Carolina, urged some residents to evacuate Saturday as a fire spread rapidly there. On Sunday, officials said those evacuations remained in effect.

That fire was burning about 400 acres (162 hectares) on Sunday afternoon, with zero percent containment, according to the Polk County Emergency Management/Fire Marshal’s office. The North Carolina Forest Service was conducting water drops and back-burning operations on the ground, and area residents should expect a lot of smoke during those operations, officials said.

Officials have not said what caused any of the fires.