(WSPA) — Wildfires are burning in the Upstate and western North Carolina, prompting evacuations in seven counties. High winds, abnormally dry conditions, and debris from Hurricane Helene have only increased the difficulty for firefighting crews. Western North Carolina Polk County Multi ple wildfires started in Polk County last week. So far, the Black Cove fire has burned 3,052 acres and is 17% contained. Evacuations have been announced for Polk and Henderson counties. The fire was started by a downed power line around 2 p.m. on March 19. The blaze has destroyed seven homes and significantly damaged one. Seven outbuildings were also destroyed in the fire. Officials said the fire remains active in the steeper parts of Green River Gorge. The Deep Woods fire burned 3,231 acres and is 11% contained. Evacuations have been announced for Polk and Henderson counties. The NC Forest Service said the Deep Woods fire is burning on state-owned and private land in the Green River Gorge and the Holbert Cove community around five miles northwest of Columbus. Officials said one home and three outbuildings have been destroyed. The Fish Hook fire is the smallest and most contained of the ongoing wildfires in the county. The fire has burned 199 acres, but is 86% contained. Three homes and one outbuilding have been destroyed. No evacuations have been announced for the Fish Hook fire at this time. The fire was caused by a downed power line. Polk County residents who have been evacuated can go to 75 Carmel Lane in Columbus. Evacuated Henderson County residents can go to the Henderson County Parks & Recreation Athletics and Activities Center at 708 South Grove Street in Hendersonville. Map shows the growth of the Black Cove, Deep Woods and Fish Hook fires in Polk County. (Map/North Carolina Forest Service) Transylvania County - Evacuations Transylvania County Chairman Jason Chappell declared a state of emergency after both of the fires moved closer to the county on Tuesday. Mandated evacuations were announced Tuesday night for residents in the Big Hill Community, Glady Fork Road, Lake Honda, and the Happy Acres area. As of Wednesday night, 758 structures are being evacuated in the southern parts of the county. A curfew is in place from 8 p.m. to 8 a.m. for residents living south of Highway 276 to the state line and south of Staton Road and the gravel part of Cascade Lake Road. Crews are going door-to-door to alert residents of the evacuations. Evacuees are asked to go to the county Parks and Recreation building at 1078 Ecusta Road in Brevard. Swain County A wildfire in the Alarka Community has burned 1,000 acres, county officials said Wednesday. According to Swain County Emergency Management, three roads in the county are under evacuation. The fire is 0% contained at this time. The cause of the fire is unknown. Haywood County The Rattlesnake Branch fire is currently burning in Haywood County. So far, the fire has burned 175 acres and is 0% contained. According to the U.S. Forest Service, the fire started on state land Wednesday afternoon near Cruso Road. Officials said the fire has crossed into the Pisgah National Forest. Crews on scene at the Cruso Fire in Haywood County, N.C., March 26, 2025. (Photo/Junaluska Fire Department)Crews on scene at the Cruso Fire in Haywood County, N.C., March 26, 2025. (Photo/Junaluska Fire Department)Crews on scene at the Cruso Fire in Haywood County, N.C., March 26, 2025. (Photo/Junaluska Fire Department)Crews on scene at the Cruso Fire in Haywood County, N.C., March 26, 2025. (Photo/Junaluska Fire Department) The Shining Rock Wilderness area is closed; visitors have been evacuated from the area. The wildfire is affecting travel on the Blue Ridge Parkway from mile marker 405 to mile marker 420. People have been asked to avoid the area; there are currently no active evacuations. Officials have not yet said what caused the fire. Rutherford County A wildfire is burning at South Winds Drive near Highway 221. The size of the fire is unknown. According to Rutherford County Emergency Management, the fire has been roughly contained as of 4:45 p.m. on Wednesday. Evacuations are in effect for residents of South Winds Drive and Davenport Road in Rutherfordton. An emergency shelter is located at First Presbyterian Church at 252 N. Washington Street. Buncombe County A 60-acre wildfire is burning in the Dix Creek and Leicester area of Buncombe County. As of Wednesday afternoon, the fire is 0% contained. Crews responded to the scene and have asked that people avoid the area. Jackson County The Monteith Branch brush fire was first reported around 4:45 p.m. on Wednesday. So far, the fire has burned 50 acres and is 0% contained. The fire is near Skyland Drive in Sylva. No evacuations have been announced at this time. Upstate South Carolina Pickens County Since March 21, the Table Rock Fire has burned 4,556 acres and is 0% contained. Strong winds led to the wildfire breaching firefighters' containment lines on the southern front of the fire on Wednesday. The fire began while Pickens County deputies were searching for Stephanie Womacks, a hiker who was last seen on March 3. Pickens County Sheriff Tommy Blankenship said the fire was started by the “negligent act” of a group of teenage hikers, cutting short efforts to locate Womacks. Officials with the SC Forestry Commission said high winds, low humidity and debris left over from Hurricane Helene have aided the fire’s growth. Evacuations have been announced for Pickens, Greenville and Transylvania counties. Pickens County officials said people living on the following roads should evacuate: Ashtabula Road, Asia Li Lane, Audies Camp Road, Back Park Road, Bethany Cove Drive, Bethel Terrace, Between the Lakes Road, Bird Song Trail, Blue Mountain Way, Bluff Ridge Road, Bobcat Drive, Bridle Drive, Burgess Gap Road, Busted Rock Road, Caesars Head Highway, Chaney Hill Road, Cherry Blossom Lane, Chief Outacite Lane, Cisson Ridge Road, Cold Mountain View, Compass Rose Road, Cougar Trail, Country Creek Drive, Cripple Creek Road, Crystal Creek Court, Cunne Shote Roads, Curts Way, Dogwood Mountain Road, Dry Lake Road, Duckwood Lane, Elizabeth Drive, Epworth Hill Circle, Fish Hawk Road, Gaines Lodge Road, Gnome Hill Lane, Green Acres Drive, Gum Gap Access Trail, Gum Gap Trail, Happy Acres Road, Hardin Road, Hardwood Lane, Hatchery Lane, Hemlock Lane, Hummingbird Terrace, Hunters Drive, Highway 11, Jane's lane, Kalijah Lane, Lakeside Shelter Road, Ledge Road, Lifeguard Lane, Locust Ridge, Lodge View Road, Lynne Way, Mary Fraser Way, Misty Mountain Way, Mohawk Drive, Mulligan Ford Hill Road, Old Chimney Lane, Pinnacle Pavilion Road, Prayer Mountain Road, Pumpkin Lane, Pumpkin Mountain Road, Rainfall Court, Raven Cliff Road, Raven Court, Rescue Access Road, Ridge Springs Road, River Bluff Road, River Road, Rockcrest Road, Rockcrest Ridge, Rockview Court, Rocky Road, S Saluda Road, Saluda Hill Road, Saluda Shore Drive, Scenic Circle, Shepherd Springs Drive, Shop Road, State Line Road, T R Campground Road, Trinity Trail, Turkey Mountain Road, Tuscarora Loop, Unnamed Road, Walker Creed Drive, Wayside Drive, Weaver Creek Trail, Wesley Meadow Lane, West Gate Road, White Oaks Lane, Wild Brook Drive, Winding Trail, Windward Court and Wotawok Trail. The state forestry commission said evacuees can call the Table Rock Public Information Line at (864) 467-3428 from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Greenville County The Persimmon Ridge fire in Greenville County was first reported on Sunday night. As of 2 p.m. On Wednesday, the fire has burned 1,553 acres and is 0% contained. Officials said that late afternoon reports indicate fire has grown in size from 1,553 acres, but officials did not specify by how much. The fire expanded its eastern, western and southern perimeters, jumping west of Highway 276 and south of Persimmon Ridge Road. The fire was caused by people in the area of Mountain Bridge Wilderness Area, southeast of Caesars Head State Park. Details of how the fire started are unclear. Greenville County Emergency Management said evacuations are in effect due to the Table Rock Fire and Persimmon Ridge fire being so close to one another. Greenville County Emergency Services issued mandatory, immediate evacuations for the following areas in the county: Asbury Drive, Bell Drive, Birchbend, Bowers Road, Boy Scout Road, Bridge View Court, Burgess Road, Caesars Head Drive, Caesars Head Highway, Caesars Point, Canyon Crest Trail, Chestnut Blf, Church of God Circle, Citivan Camp Road, Cliff Ridge Court, Cliff Ridge Drive, Club Terrace Drive, Columbine Way, Conifer Falls Road, Copperline Drive, Cross Road, Delphinium Court, Denford Cove, Duckworth Road, Durango Place, Echo Drive, Echo Drive Extension, Emerald Crest Lane, Foxglove Place, Geer Highway, Gintomo Road, Greylogs Trail, Hagood Road, Hemlock Trail, Howard Street, Hugh Smith Road, Highway 11, Indian Trail, Jack Ray Road, Jennings Mill Road, Jones Gap Road, La Plata Lane, Lakemont Road, larkspur Court, Larkspur Lane, Laurel Drive, Lawton Road, Lawton Road Extension, Look Off Drive, Matthews Creek Lane, Mountain Laurel, Mountain Laurel Drive, North Lake Drive, Nugget Ridge Lane, Oil Camp Creek Road, Old Springfield Road, Old U.S. 276, Pagosa Trail, Persimmon Ridge Road, Pinnacle Lake Road, Pinnacle Lake Road Extension, Pipe Line Lane, Point of View Lane, Punctatum Place, Ragsdale Road, Remickville Drive, Rhododendron, River Falls Road, River Rock Court, Rosemond Road, Saluda Hill Church Road, Sandia Lane, Sevenbark Lane, Sky Ranche Road, Sourwood Lane, Southside Drive, Spring Park Drive, Sunrise Drive, Table Rock Road, Table Rock Road Extension, Trails End, Treasure Trail, Trillium Way, Upper Oil Camp, Verbena Place, Wild Drive, Wildcat Road, Wind River Trail, Woodbine, Woods Pond Court and YMCA Camp Road. Residents evacuating from Pickens and Greenville counties can go to Marietta First Baptist Church at 2936 Geer Highway in Marietta. Map shows the growth of the Persimmon Ridge and Table Rock fires in the Upstate. (Map/South Carolina Forestry Commission) According to the South Carolina Forestry Commission, 170 personnel from SCFC, SC State Fire, Greenville Emergency Management, Pickens County Emergency Management, SCDNR, SLED, USDA Forest Service, The Nature Conservancy, Greenville Water and dozens of local fire departments helped work to tackle the fire on Wednesday. A statewide burning ban remains in effect for South Carolina, meaning all outside burning, campfires, bonfires and other recreational fires are prohibited until further notice. Northeast Georgia Hart County According to the Georgia Forestry Commission, a wildfire burned 15 acres near Hart Lankford Road. The fire was 100% contained as of 5:57 p.m. Wednesday. ...read more read less