Wildfires across the Carolinas prompt evacuations as the region faces more dry conditions Sunday

Firefighters combat two wildfires in Buncombe County, North Carolina, on Saturday. (WLOS via CNN Newsource)

Firefighters are working against dry, windy conditions Sunday as they battle wildfires scorching parts of the Carolinas and forcing residents to evacuate their homes.

The Carolina Forest Fire, about five miles north of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, doubled in size to 1,200 acres overnight and is 0 per cent contained, the South Carolina Forestry Commission said Sunday. A smaller fire nearby on Blackthorn Drive was around 80 per cent contained as of around 3 p.m. ET Sunday, the South Carolina Forestry Commission told CNN.

Officials issued a statewide burn ban Saturday as dozens of wildfires flared across the state – many of which have since been contained.

The fire threat continues for the region Sunday, including near Wilmington, North Carolina, and Charleston and Columbia, South Carolina, the National Weather Service warned.

South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster declared a state of emergency Sunday to support wildfire efforts across the state.

The governor’s office said more than 175 wildfires were burning across 4,200 acres across the state, citing information from the state fire marshal.

In western North Carolina, near the towns of Tryon and Saluda, a brush fire caused by a power line that fell along US Highway 176 Saturday afternoon spread quickly up a nearby mountain and threatened several structures, Saluda Fire and Rescue said in a post that night.

By midday Sunday, the fire was between 400 and 500 acres and 0% 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 to contain a large wooded fire near Myrtle Beach Saturday night, 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.

Winds in the area are expected to significantly diminish overnight, and temperatures will approach freezing by Monday morning.

Lighter winds will continue through Tuesday as temperatures warm to close to 60 degrees and more humid air returns to the region.

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.

Article written by Karina Tsui, Lauren Mascarenhas and Meteorologist Gene Norman.