Wildfire Update Wednesday 5 PM
- Charles Reams
- Mar 27
- 3 min read
'Unprecedented' wildfires in NC: 250 residents evacuate as Helene debris fuels flames
POLK COUNTY - Along Glen Echo Lane in Polk County, the smoky wind blew as the Green River Gorge was consumed by two massive, puffy plumes. At around 4 p.m., a barrage of klaxons alerted residents to evacuate. If wind conditions shifted, the fire could quickly spread toward several small mountain communities along the gorge's ridge lines.
Ryan Searcy, the N.C. Forest Service's Polk County Ranger, was dressed in a yellow button-down shirt covered in soot. Searcy had been fighting the two flames — the Deep Woods Fire and the Black Cove Complex Fire — for nearly a week since they began on March 19. He was among the first to respond to the fires, which have been deemed by the National Interagency Fire Center as the "highest priority" fires in the South.
In his experience, the size and scale of the fires is rare outside of the Western United States. Though Western North Carolina is no stranger to fires, the steep terrain, low humidity and downed debris from Tropical Storm Helene has created a unique circumstance for disastrous fires.
"Here in Western North Carolina, this is an unprecedented event," Searcy said.
Just a few minutes after the evacuation notice went out, some residents began to filter out of their homes, into cars and out of the neighborhood. Some opened their car trunks, filling them with suitcases and clothes. The evacuation notice, the second in Polk County on March 26, applied to Echo Lane, Glen Echo Circle, Sam's Gap Lane, Scout Camp Road and Who Drive.
Roughly 250 homes are evacuated from the fires burning in the Green River Gorge, Polk County Emergency Management announced March 26.
Around 10 minutes after the notice came through, Ron Chmielewski, 81, was finishing packing clothes, medications and things for his dog as he and wife, Liz Chmielewski, prepared to evacuate. The had preparing to leave for days, collecting sentimental items in addition to the essentials.
“We’re putting everything in one car,” Chmielewski said. They planned to stay with gracious friends who opened their home in Inman, South Carolina. They'd been in communication with their neighbors, some who had already evacuated and others who were in the process.
As of latest estimates, the two fires had burned over 6,000 acres in the Green River Gorge, significantly in an area along Green River Cove Road. The road was decimated during Helene, altering the area's natural terrain. The bumpy, partially washed-out road was the only way by land to fight the two fires. The fires have consumed at least 10 houses and injured one firefighter. As of the evening of March 26, the fires reached mild containment. The Deep Woods Fire was 11% contained and the Black Cove Complex Fire was 17% contained.
Helene has contributed to the growth of the fires, alongside the gorge's steep terrain and consistent Red Flag days, an indicator that there is a high chance of wildfires, N.C. Forest Service spokesperson Bo Dossett said. The National Interagency Fire Center sent out a fuels and fire behavior advisory on March 25 for the entire Southern Appalachian region. The advisory noted that recent "extraordinarily low humidity" has rapidly dried leaf litter and fine fuels left in the wake of Helene, accelerating the forest fires that can change course quickly depending on weather.
The evening of March 26, N.C. Forest Service Field Operations Officer Brian Elam was watching the Deep Woods Fire from a distance, helping Searcy direct resources and make a plan for potential fire growth. Depending on the weather and what the wind does, the fire a few miles away could reach the small community in up to 30 minutes.
"You could easily see 50- or 60-foot flames come through the trees and move in," Elam said. In the distance, propeller planes swooped in on the fires, dropping thousands of gallons of water on the distant flames.
A resident of the area for 22 years, Chmielewski has experienced wildfires in the mountains before. However, the other fires were nothing like the Deep Woods Fire. Reflecting on Helene, which slammed into WNC six months ago, and the fires, Chmielewski said: “It’s just too many negative things happening in such a short time."