Wildfires burn thousands of acres across the Southeast

ASHEVILLE, N.C. — Firefighters are battling blazes which have engulfed thousands of acres in the southeast amid a devastating drought.

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Wildfires spanning from Tennessee to Georgia, North Carolina and parts of Alabama, have led to evacuations in some counties as firefighters try to suppress the flames. The Tennessee Emergency Management Agency declared a level 3 state of emergency on Thursday night due to multiple wildfires caused by an ongoing drought it believes will not end soon. In North Carolina, arson is suspected in most of the 19 fires burning in the Nantahala National Forest in the far western counties of Western North Carolina, according to the U.S. Forest Service.

In Atlanta, the skyline has been blanked in a smoky haze since Wednesday as fires burned some 90 miles away in The Cohutta Wilderness Area on the Chattahoochee National Forest.

More than 5,000 firefighters and support staff are currently in the Southeast to fight the wildfires in the area, according to Shardul Raval, director of fire and aviation management for the southern region of the U.S. Forest Service, AP reported.

In North Carolina, Evacuation orders were given to portions of Chimney Rock and Lake Lure communities as the Party Rock Fire grew to 977 acres Friday and crossed county lines.

Due to low humidity and extremely dry fuel conditions, the fire burned actively throughout the night. Flames have also been running uphill at a fast pace.

With air quality a concern, Chimney Rock State Park closed Thursday at the N.C. Forest Service’s request until further notice. The fire has not affected the park, but the N.C. Forest Service asked for the closure to help ease traffic congestion while firefighters continue to fight the growing blaze.

Gov. Pat McCrory visited the Party Rock fire Thursday after he declared a state of emergency in 25 western counties where more than 20 wildfires are burning on more than 7,500 acres.

“Because of this very long and serious drought, some firefighters have told me that these are the most serious conditions they’ve seen in 40 years,” he said at a news conference at the incident command post in Lake Lure.

Several public water systems in Western North Carolina have asked their customers to institute voluntary water conservation measures. They include systems in Bakersville, Burnsville, Canton, Clay County, Hendersonville, Maggie Valley and Tryon.

“The southeastern U.S. has been under persistent high pressure for the past few months, and this has led to above normal temperatures while suppressing rainfall,” said Rebecca Ward, climatologist for the drought council and the state climate office. “The dryness in the mountains has persisted since May, and several counties are now seeing one of their top driest years based on more than 105 years of records.”

Contributing: WXIA-TV, Atlanta

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Wildfires burn thousands of acres across the Southeast