Firefighters are battling wildfires in North and South Carolina. Multiple fires broke out over the weekend.
Officials haven’t said what caused most of the fires. But the weather has been very dry. Fallen trees and other plants dry out too. They easily catch fire. Gusts of wind spread the sparks.
On Sunday, wildfires burned in four forests across North Carolina. Fire crews worked to contain them.
The largest was at Uwharrie National Forest. That area is near the center of the state. The fire spread about 400 acres. Crews had contained about one third of that fire on Sunday afternoon.
Another fire spread quickly near the small southwestern town of Tryon, North Carolina. On Sunday afternoon, that fire was also burning about 400 acres. Workers for the North Carolina Forest Service dropped water on the flames. They set up back-burning operations. That means that they set controlled fires. Those burn plants that might otherwise fuel the wildfire.
In South Carolina, about 410 people fought a fire in the Carolina Forest area. That’s west of Myrtle Beach. Residents had to leave several neighborhoods there. Late Sunday afternoon, the fire department announced that the evacuees could return home.
Officials estimated Sunday afternoon that the blaze was burning more than 1,200 acres. Thankfully, no buildings were damaged. And no one had reported injuries as of Sunday morning. So far, crews have contained about one third of the fire.
Meanwhile, more than 6,000 miles away, Japan is fighting a forest fire too. It has damaged at least 84 homes. Over 1,200 people evacuated Ofunato. That city is on the northeastern coastal city.
The fire started on Wednesday. It has already burned about 5,190 acres of forest.
There’s good news. The fire has died down in some areas. More than 2,000 troops and firefighters came from across the country. They are working to stop the blaze.
Ofunato and other parts of northeast Japan have had a very dry winter. In fact, it’s the driest winter since 1946. (That’s when officials started keeping track.)
Pray for the people trying to contain the fires. Ask God to give them strength and wisdom to protect others.
