Wildfire in western NC burns 430 acres in Henderson County, only 5% contained

A wildfire burning in Henderson County has burned 431 acres of land in the Edneyville community, and only 5% of it is contained.

The Poplar Drive Fire burning in western North Carolina is now more than 10 times larger than it was Friday night.

On Sunday Chief Robert Griffin with the Edneyville Fire Department said the fire ballooned over the weekend and has burned around 430 acres.

In the face of devasation, the volunteer response has been incredible, Griffin said. Volunteers are fighting the fire or supporting the crews who are doing so. Griffin’s wife is one of the volunteers.

“[I] can’t thank them enough for what they do for our community … that’s countywide … whether they’re here or working somewhere else or doing something else, it’s huge,” he said.

Fruitland Baptist Church in Hendersonville turned into a food pantry over the weekend as the effort to keep first responders nourished continues to grow.

“I’ve been a firefighter my entire life,” said part-time firefighter James Nelson. “This is what I do. This is the way I’m built. If I can’t be up there doing the job, there’s a lot of jobs behind the scenes … people bringing in food and organizing, getting the packages ready to make sure the crews are fed.”

As more truckloads of food arrive for firefighters, the U.S. Forest Service said the Poplar Drive Fire is less than 5% contained.

Officials in Henderson County said threatened structures have nearly doubled, from 34 to 75, and three structures are already heavily damaged.

However, Griffin said the fire lines held better Sunday morning than Saturday morning, although crews are still dealing with fire burning near a foot below the ground.

“They’re going down to earthy soil, getting rid of all that duff … but you also have to look at clearing roots,” Griffin said. “As it burns down to the duff, if it was to burn roots, it could pop up on the other side.”

Griffin said at any one time there are 150 people from four counties actively working the fire with around 40 apparatus on the ground and in the air.

A statewide request for aid is in place, which would allow relief for crews across several counties. This is needed since fire personnel are expected to remain on scene for a minimum of three weeks.

Additionally, Henderson County declared a state of emergency Sunday night, and school buses were restricted to travel on Monday.

The North Carolina Forest Service issued a burn ban for Burke, Cherokee, Clay, Cleveland, Gaston, Graham Henderson Jackson, Macon, McDowell, Polk, Rutherford, Swain and Transylvania counties starting at 5 p.m. Sunday.

The ban will be in place “until further notice.”

“Several Counties in Western North Carolina are currently in a severe drought, and we are seeing wildfire activity increase due to dry conditions,” Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler said. “Even though not all areas full under the burn ban, we do encourage extreme caution with any burning as conditions are dry in many conditions across the state.”

A burn ban prohibits all open burning in the affected counties, regardless of whether a permit was previously issued.

Forest Service authorities said they will continue to monitor conditions. Residents with questions are encouraged to contact their N.C. Forest Service county ranger or the fire marshal’s office in the affected counties.

Air quality conditions

The state Department of Environmental Quality said Cherokee, Clay and Macon counties may experience Code Red air quality conditions, meaning all residents should consider limiting prolonged or heavy exertion outdoors in these areas.

Graham and Henderson counties and the southern mountain ridgetops in this area are forecast to have Code Orange air quality, which is unhealthy to groups sensitive to air pollution. Children, older adults and people with asthma should limit prolonged or heavy exertion outdoors during Code Orange conditions.