PICKENS COUNTY, S.C. — Immediate mandatory evacuations have been ordered in parts of Greenville and Pickens counties in South Carolina. According to The South Carolina Forestry Commission, “Despite very good progress fortifying containment lines on the eastern edge of the fire, including a burn out on the northeastern perimeter that otherwise prevented further spread eastward, the Table Rock Fire expanded greatly in the other direction today. The Table Rock Fire is now estimated to be 2, 293 acres.”The downed timber from Helene, lack of rain, strong wind and dry conditions continue to make fighting these fires tough. Incident command staff have ordered a complex incident management team (CIMT) to join firefighters and other personnel Thursday. They have also added helicopters to increase water drops. The Persimmon Ridge Fire has tripled in size since Monday and has grown to 996 acres. Both the Persimmon Ridge Fire and the Table Rock Fire are human-caused and both are 0% contained. ...read more read less