Gov. Stein issues State of Emergency for fire threat in Western NC, Charlotte metro
The order covers the Charlotte metro area west in into mountains and expands the state's capacity to respond to the wildfires burning in Polk and Rutherford counties. The governor and Emergency Management officials are urging North Carolinians to be aware of high fire danger conditions across the state.
They urge all residents should to pay close attention to local emergency alerts and evacuation notifications.
Wildfires are spreading as the threat for more continues
'The wildfires in western North Carolina continue to grow, so I have expanded our State of Emergency,' said Stein in a statement. 'Our State Emergency Response Team is responding with every tool at its disposal. Please stay safe and stay alert for any evacuation orders if the fires spread to an area near you.'
The State Emergency Response Team has been assisting counties with resource and personnel needs since late last week. NC Emergency Management has deployed communications resources, tactical emergency telecommunicators, and incident management personnel to the scene.
The North Carolina Forest Service is assisting with incident management and firefighting efforts and the North Carolina Office of State Fire Marshal has deployed fire department from across the state to western North Carolina to assist.
The State of Emergency includes the following counties: Alexander, Alleghany, Ashe, Avery, Buncombe, Burke, Cabarrus, Caldwell, Catawba, Cherokee, Clay, Cleveland, Gaston, Graham, Haywood, Henderson, Iredell, Jackson, Lincoln, Macon, Madison, McDowell, Mecklenburg, Mitchell, Polk, Rowan, Rutherford, Stanly, Swain, Transylvania, Union, Watauga, Wilkes, Yancey, as well as the tribal lands held by the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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