Black Cove Fire in Polk County, N.C. is 17 percent contained as of Wednesday night
Fire managers and emergency officials will attend a community meeting held by the Town of Saluda Thursday March 27, at 6 p.m.
The Black Cove Complex is the highest priority fire in the U.S, which gives the incident management team priority for resources, according to a statement Wednesday night from the North Carolina Forest Service. Currently, there are 476 personnel from North Carolina and other states across the nation supporting this incident.
Today, the National Weather Service issued a Red Flag Warning for the mountains of Polk and Henderson counties, indicating the potential for severe fire behavior and the possibility of rapid fire spread.
Firefighters continue preparing firebreaks and protecting structures in anticipation of elevated temperatures, high winds and low humidity.
Fire managers and emergency officials will attend a community meeting held by the Town of Saluda Thursday March 27, at 6 p.m. The incident management team will provide information and updates on the Black Cove, Deep Woods and Fish Hook fires. The meeting will be held at The Party Place & Event Center located at 221 Friendship Church Road. Meeting attendees will have the opportunity to ask questions and discuss plans with emergency officials.
Fires in Upstate South Carolina and Western North Carolina have prompted mandatory evacuations.
The mandatory evacuations because of the Table Rock Fire are in Greenville and Pickens counties in South Carolina and Transylvania County in North Carolina.
According to a report from WYFF-TV in Greenville, S.C. the shelter in Transylvania County is at 1078 Ecusta Road.
In Polk and Henderson counties, the Black Cove fire's size has grown to 3,052 acres and is 17 percent contained.
On Tuesday, a firefighter was injured fighting the Black Cove Fire. The individual was airlifted to Spartanburg Regional Medical Center in Spartanburg, S.C., where he received medical attention and is currently in stable condition.
The Black Cove Fire was first reported Wednesday, March 19. The cause of this fire was determined to be a downed powerline.
Evacuations: Evacuation levels are constantly being assessed based on fire activity. For updated or current evacuation notices for Polk County, please refer to Polk County’s website. For updated or current evacuation notices for Henderson County, please refer to Henderson County’s website.
-- Down Ballot
