HENDERSON COUNTY, N.C. (WLOS) — The wildfires in Polk County could soon reach other parts of the mountains. Henderson County officials have been in meetings with the NC Forest Service and Polk County first responders.
Laurel Mountain View Road and Boulder View Road are the only parts of Henderson County currently under a voluntary evacuation order. Big Hungry Road, which runs across Henderson and Polk, has had residents leave the area, as well.
“We’ve asked these people to leave,” Henderson County Chief Communications Officer Mike Morgan said. “We recommend that they leave.”
FIRE CREWS STRUGGLE WITH STEEP TERRAIN, WIND AS LARGE NORTH CAROLINA WILDFIRES SPREAD
As of Monday afternoon, none of the fires have reached across the Polk/Henderson County line. The Parks and Recreation Center along South Grove Street in Hendersonville opened as an evacuation shelter over the weekend. However, since yesterday, crews have been closely monitoring the situation.
“We’ve got a lot of volunteer fire departments on standby in those border areas,” Morgan confirmed. “Especially near some of the homes where if the fire did jump, we can be there to help protect those homes. We’re here to monitor the situation very closely.”
That work continued Monday along Macedonia and Knight Road in southern Henderson County.
MAJOR CONSERVATION MILESTONE ACHIEVED AS 1,439-ACRE PINNACLE MOUNTAINS WEST SAFEGUARDED
“We’re trying to be proactive,” Henderson County Fire Marshal Kevin Waldrup said Monday. “We’re looking at the computer data on the fire roads and fire spread. They’re prepping homes with defendable space around them. That’s to try and prevent those structures from catching [on fire] if the fires reach this area. If it gets dangerous, there will be a mandatory evacuation.”
There are ways to protect your own home without the help of firefighters.
“You can do things like blow leaves out of your gutter, blow leaves out from around your deck, take firewood from the side of your house, and just make a defendable space,” Waldrup explained. “That can be with leaf blowers or whatever you’ve got around your home.”
Henderson County’s website and social media pages will have timely updates on evacuation orders as the week goes on.
