Crews work around the clock to battle wildfires across Carolinas
GROUP THAT HE CREDITS FOR THE
CRIME DECREASE. GOOD EVENING
AND THANK YOU FOR JOINING US
TONIGHT. I'M JULIAN GRACE
WILDFIRE THAT HAS BURNED FOR
MORE THAN 24 HOURS.
>> IN HARDIN COUNTY IS NOW
UNDER CONTROL TONIGHT AFTER
SPREADING TO 175 ACRES. IT
STARTED ONLY Z LIZZIE JEEP,
JETER ROAD NEAR CAMERON AROUND
3 YESTERDAY AFTERNOON. NOW IS
ONE OF SEVERAL LARGE WILDFIRES
THAT IS BURNING ACROSS THE
CAROLINAS TODAY. WRAL'S HEIDI
KIRK SHOWS US WHAT IT TOOK TO
CONTAIN THE HARNETT COUNTY
FIRE.
>> THIS WILDFIRE HERE IN
HARNETT COUNTY IS NOW 100%
CONTAINED. AND IF YOU TAKE A
LOOK OVER THIS WAY, YOU'RE
GOING TO SEE THE FINAL STEP
THAT THE NORTH CAROLINA FOREST
SERVICE TOOK TO CONTAIN IT.
NOW WHAT YOU SEE BACK THAT WAY
IS WHAT IS CALLED A BACK BIRD.
IT'S A METHOD OF SETTING IT
CONTROLLED FIRE TO HELP CONTAIN
THE ONE THAT INITIALLY STARTED.
NOW WE SPOKE WITH PEOPLE WHO
SAW ALL OF THIS PLAY OUT IN FOR
MANY OF THEM. THIS WAS A FIRST.
>> AND MATTHEW MUNOZ SAYS A
WILDFIRE IS ONLY SOMETHING HE'S
EVER SEEN ON THE NEWS. THIS
IS LIKE A LIFE CHANGING MOMENT
WAS LIKE I'VE NEVER SEEN
ANYTHING LIKE THIS IN PERSON.
HE CAPTURED THIS VIDEO OF THE
WILDFIRE THAT STARTED JUST
STEPS AWAY FROM HIS HOME NEAR
CAMERON LOOKED OVER TO SEE A
BUNCH OF BLACK SMOKE AND I SEEN
IT COMING OVER THAT WAY IN THE
WIND WAS PUSHED OUT HUNDREDS OF
LOCAL FIRE CREWS ALONG WITH THE
NORTH CAROLINA FOREST SERVICE
SCATTERED ACROSS THE STATE TO
CONTAIN THIS FIRE AND SEVERAL
OTHERS.
IN HARNETT COUNTY OFFICIALS
SAY NO ONE WAS HURT, THOUGH.
100 ACRES WERE IMPACTED.
SEVERAL VEHICLES DESTROYED AND
ONE HOME DAMAGED. THE FIRE
CHIEF IN CYPRESS POINT CALLING
IT A CHALLENGING ONE.
>> WE WERE OUT THERE FOR WE HAD
SOME STAFF OUT THERE FOR AT
LEAST 27 HOURS ON AND OFF THE
DIFFICULTIES THAT FIRE WERE
JUST JUST THE FACT THAT HE'S IN
AND AROUND A LOT OF HOMES OF
THE BIGGEST LOSS FROM AN YOS IS
THE BEAUTY OF HIS
>> AND IT WAS VERY LUSH IN THE
SUMMERTIME. FIRE OFFICIALS ARE
URGING PEOPLE NOT TO BURN ON
THE ROAD WHEN CONDITIONS ARE
RIGHT FOR FIRES TO SPREAD.
>> THE CHALLENGE IS EXTREMELY
DRY RIGHT NOW IS VERY WINDY.
THE LEAST A LITTLE BIT OF
AMBER, A SPORK OUTSIDE CAN TURN
INTO SOMETHING SOMEONE'S WORST
LIKE THEY ARE.
>> AND YOS IS NOW PREACHING
THAT TOO.
>> WHEN YOU SEE THOSE ALERTS
COME UP ON YOUR CELL PHONES,
YOUR NEWS AND STATIONS AND
RADIOS. LISTEN BEWARE. BECAUSE
THIS THIS COULD BE YOU.
>> NOW THE NORTH CAROLINA
FOREST SERVICE IS WELL AS LOCAL
FIRE DEPARTMENTS ARE STILL
WORKING ON INVESTIGATING THE
CAUSE OF THIS FIRE. OF COURSE,
WE'RE GOING TO CONTINUE ASKING
THOSE QUESTIONS AND WE'LL BRING
YOU UPDATES WHEN WE GET THEM.
HEIDI KIRK, WRAL, NEWS IN
HARNETT
>> FIREFIGHTERS SAY SOME SMOKE
AND FLAMES MAY STILL BE PRESENT
FROM THE BACK BURN. HOWEVER,
THEY SAY THE FIRE REMAINS 100%
CONTAINED. NOT FAR FROM WHERE
HEIDI IS TONIGHT, BUT ACROSS
THE BORDER INTO MOORE COUNTY, A
LARGE FIRE WAS BURNING OFF OF
FOXFIRE ROAD. THE FIRE
DESTROYED SEVERAL VEHICLES,
A CAMPER, A TRACTOR AND PART
OF THE OUTBUILDING. BUT
FORTUNATELY, NO ONE WAS HURT
CREWS AT THE SAME REQUESTED
ADDITIONAL FIRE UNITS,
INCLUDING A PLOW FROM THE
FORESTRY SERVICE AND A TANKER
TASK FORCE THERE AS WELL.
FOXFIRE ROAD WAS CLOSED TO
TRAVEL IN BOTH DIRECTIONS
EARLIER TODAY. WESTERN NORTH
CAROLINA WILDFIRE CONTINUES
TO BURN. IT HAS NOW GROWN TO
MORE THAN 500 ACRES AND NEW
AT 10 FIREFIGHTERS NOW SAY THE
POLK COUNTY WILDFIRE IS 30%
CONTAINED. VOLUNTARY
EVACUATIONS ARE UNDERWAY IN
POLK COUNTY AND THE FIRE
DEPARTMENT SAID OF THE FIRE WAS
STARTED BY A DOWNED POWER LINE
ALONG HIGHWAY ONE. 76 NEAR
TRYON.
IT MADE THE SKY SUCH ON COLOR.
I WAS GOING FOR A WALK AND TURN
THIS ON YELLOW COLOR, YELLOW
AND RED.
>> I MEAN, IT'S BAD ENOUGH FROM
HELENE. NOW WE'VE GOT THIS AND
THAT I MEAN, THE FOREST, IT'S
JUST.
REALLY BAD.
>> AND THOSE IMAGES ARE
UNBELIEVABLE. SEVERAL FIRE
DEPARTMENTS ARE ASSISTING WITH
THE FIREFIGHT, INCLUDING THE
NORTH CAROLINA FOREST SERVICE.
FIREFIGHTERS CONDUCTED AIRDROP
AND BACK BURNING OPERATIONS.
WORK IS STILL UNDERWAY TO
PROTECT, THREATENED STRUCTURES.
THERE IS A SHELTER FOR EVACUEES
AT THE POLK COUNTY SENIOR
CENTER IN COLUMBUS. THE FIRES
ARE JUST TROUBLE IN NORTH
CAROLINA THIS WEEKEND. FIRST
RESPONDERS ACROSS SOUTH
CAROLINA HAVE DESCENDED ON
HORRY COUNTY TO HELP BATTLE
A MASSIVE WILDFIRE. YOU WALK
IN. YOU'RE WATCHING IT RIGHT
THERE. RESIDENTS FROM SEVERAL
NEIGHBORHOODS WERE FORCED TO
LEAVE THEIR HOMES EARLIER
BEFORE BEING ALLOWED TO RETURN
HOME THIS AFTERNOON, WE SPOKE
WITH FORMER WRAL NEWS EMPLOYEE
AND CURRENT WMBF A REPORTER
STEVEN X-LINKED TODAY. HE SAYS
HE'S BEEN COVERING THE FIRE
ALL WEEKEND. HE ALSO SAYS
FIREFIGHTERS WERE MOVING FAST
TO SAVE LIVES.
>> ALL OF A SUDDEN ALL THESE
FIRST RESPONDERS REALLY CROWDED
INTO THAT AREA STARTED GOING
DOOR TO DOOR AND PULLING PEOPLE
OUT OF THEIR HOMES, PEOPLE'S
PETS OUT OF THEIR HOMES, MAKING
TREAT THEM TO CPD, KNEW THAT
THIS WAS A POSSIBILITY AS Y'ALL
ARE DEALING WITH THIS WELSH,
THE CONDITIONS OF THEIR
PORRIDGE. WE JUST NEVER
EXPECTED TO SEE SOMETHING THIS
BIG.
>> UNBELIEVABLE IN HORRY COUNTY
SPOKESPERSON SAYS THERE HAVE
BEEN NO REPORTS OF HOMES OR
OTHER STRUCTURES BEING LOST IN