South Carolina governor declares state of emergency as wildfires erupt in Carolinas, Georgia

S E E D E D   C O N T E N T

/ Updated By Mirna Alsharif and Dennis Romero

South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster declared a state of emergency Sunday as wildfires in the Carolinas and Georgia scorched thousands of acres and forced people to flee their homes.

More than 175 fires were burning in South Carolina, the governor's office said earlier Sunday, fueled by unusually dry conditions and gusty winds. Those conditions are expected to fade as a cold front pushes out the dry air mass over the Southeast U.S. and brings rain by Tuesday, the National Weather Service said. By early Monday, that number was down to 163, according to the South Carolina Forestry Commission.

In Horry County, a fire near Myrtle Beach and the Carolina Forest area had burned 1,600 acres by Sunday night and was 30% contained, according to the forestry commission.

People in eight neighborhoods were forced to evacuate as several fires raged in Horry County, officials said. Soldiers with the South Carolina Army National Guard used two Blackhawk helicopters to drop water 600 gallons at a time on the blazes, the South Carolina National Guard said Sunday.

Besides Horry County, fires have affected an estimated 4,200 acres across the state, including in Spartanburg, Union, Oconee and Pickens counties, McMaster's office said in a statement Sunday.

Social media video showed an orange sky as the Carolina Forest area fire burned near Myrtle Beach. Another video showed smoke and debris in the air as a fire burned in a backyard in nearby Red Hill.

The Red Cross of South Carolina said there were approximately 135 Carolina Forest residents taking shelter in a county recreation center. The Carolina Forest Community Church has also become a sanctuary for firefighters taking much-needed breaks, and for some residents, NBC affiliate WMBF of Myrtle Beach reported.

"Personnel will continue to staff this incident until the fire is contained," the South Carolina Forestry Commission said. Around 410 personnel and at least 128 fire apparatuses were deployed to fight the fire, the commission said.

No injuries have been reported so far, and no structures have been destroyed, it added.

By early Sunday evening, those ordered to leave the area of the fire were allowed to return, according to a statement from Horry County Fire Rescue.

Wildfire smoke rises in Carolina Forest, S.C., on Sunday.Vincent Lehotsky

McMaster said his state's emergency declaration will allow first responders to rapidly get any resources they need to battle the blazes. He praised first responders for "working tirelessly and risking their lives to protect our communities."

Doug Wood, spokesperson for the forestry commission, which is in command at the state's major blazes, said the lion's share of the estimated 175 weekend fires happened Saturday, with less than 10 new ones sparking Sunday. Almost all of the fires in the state had been contained or controlled by Sunday night, according to the forestry commission website.

Speaking to NBC affiliate WCBD of Charleston, Wood noted that the Carolinas are amid the peak of their annual fire season.

"Doesn't happen every day," he said, "but it's not unheard of."

Four active fires remained in North Carolina early Monday, according to a state forestry website. Firefighters continued to battle blazes in all four of the state's national forests, as well as near the city of Tryon, where the 176 Fire, named for U.S. Route 176, grew to 400 acres with 0% containment by Sunday afternoon, according to Polk County, North Carolina, emergency management and fire officials.

The fires in North Carolina's Croatan, Nantahala, Uwharrie, and Pisgah national forests had consumed nearly 500 acres total by Sunday, the U.S. Forest Service said in an update.

"Firefighters are constructing new containment lines, reinforcing existing ones, conducting aerial reconnaissance and using mechanized equipment to manage heavy fuel loads," the service said. "Unseasonably warm weather and low humidity have heightened fire risks."

According to a Georgia Forestry Commission fire summary, at least six active fires were burning in the state Sunday, with nearly 3,700 acres burned in a seven-day span that brought the region gusty winds and low humidity.

The Tennessee Department of Agriculture reported four small, active wildfires on Sunday, but all were contained or controlled by early Monday. Statewide, 81 wildfires had burned about 822 acres over the last seven days.

The fires were fueled by a high pressure system to the north, which locked out rain and created a low-humidity atmosphere, federal forecasters said.

The convergence of warmth, dry air and gusty winds is not inconsistent with the season's La Nina weather phenomenon, which is associated with warmer, drier winters in the Carolinas, according to North Carolina State University.

The region is also in the midst of drought, with the U.S. Climate Prediction Center calling for moderate drought to persist in much of the Carolinas, and for parts of the North Carolina coast to continue experiencing severe drought conditions through early spring.

Forecasters in the region said the high pressure system that's boosting warm temperatures and low humidity of 20% to 25% through Monday is being pushed offshore by an incoming cold front likely to bring rain late Tuesday into Wednesday. They warned, however, that dry conditions and light winds would remain on Monday.