Name: Wildfires Prompt Evacuation in the Carolinas as New Jersey Crews Battle Their Own Blaze
Uploaded: 2025-03-25T04:13:57.000Z
Description: Wildfires forced a mandatory evacuation Sunday in a North Carolina county still recovering from Hurricane Helene, and South Carolina's governor declared an emergency in response to a growing wildfire in that state. Hundreds of miles north, the New Jersey Forest Fire Service was battling a blaze in the Wharton State Forest.

Cary Dunst is the news anchor for NTD Evening News. He is also the co-host of NTD Good Morning.


Cary Dunst

NTD Plus

News

News with integrity, from the United States and around the world. Focused reports and analyses that shed light on major issues the world deserves to know. NTD Evening News airs daily at 6 p.m. ET.

NTD Evening News

40 Percent of Cuba's Income Targeted by New US Sanctions: Expert

David Lam is a national correspondent based in California and a part-time anchor for "NTD Tonight." Before joining NTD he was a financial analyst.

David Lam

US Senators Seek to Repeal California Emissions Rules

Sam Wang is a Washington correspondent for NTD News based in Washington, D.C. Sam covers politics on Capitol Hill, and U.S.-China relations. 

Sam Wang

What the People Say: Are You Feeling Confident About Our Economy Under Trump?

Christina Corona is a California-based reporter for NTD News. She primarily covers California news, politics, and entertainment.  

Christina Corona

Partially-Incarcerated Fire Crew Battles Spokane Fires

Jason Blair is a national correspondent for NTD News based in California. 

Jason Blair

Chinese-Linked Scam Compounds Are Targeting Americans

Dave Martin is NTD's Senior Sports Reporter and sports analyst. He also hosts "Data Hub" segments during NTD's special election coverage, "The Nation Decides."

Dave Martin

Will He or Won't He? Former NFL Star Aaron Donald Ponders Return

Arian Pasdar is an international correspondent for NTD News based in South America. His reporting focuses on immigration and key events in Latin America.

Arian Pasdar

Ceuta Mayor Tells EU That City 'Not Back to Business as Usual' and Citizens Are 'Fearful'

Jason Perry is an Army veteran and NTD's national security correspondent. Jason primarily covers border security, national defense, foreign wars, and veterans' issues.

Jason Perry

Spacewalk 96: Preparing Space Station for Solar Arrays

Jack Bradley is a Washington correspondent for NTD News based in Washington, D.C. Jack previously anchored "NTD Newsroom" and worked as an assistant producer for the show. 

Jack Bradley

US News

Senate Panel Votes to Hold Fauci in Contempt

Citizens React to Progressive Win in Michigan Democratic Senate Primary

NTD Evening News Full Broadcast (August 6)

NTD Evening News Full Broadcast (August 5)

NTD Evening News Full Broadcast (August 4)

Paul Greaney is an NTD news anchor and producer. Since joining the company in 2018, he has anchored the station’s flagship Evening News broadcast, launched the NTD Business show, and produced documentary reports on pointed issues. 

The highlight of Paul’s time in the field was his coverage of the Hong Kong pro-democracy protests in 2019.

Paul Greaney

NTD Evening News Full Broadcast (Aug. 2)

Full Episodes

NTD Evening News Full Broadcast (Aug. 1)

NTD Evening News Full Broadcast (July 31)

NTD Evening News Full Broadcast (July 30)

NTD Evening News Full Broadcast (July 29)

NTD Evening News Full Broadcast (July 28)

NTD Evening News Full Broadcast (July 27)

NTD Movies

NTD+ Movies

The Unrestricted War

Reuters is a news agency owned by Thomson Reuters. It employs around 2,500 journalists and 600 photojournalists in about 200 locations worldwide writing in 16 languages.

Reuters

Cyber Defense Agency Warns Hackers Are Increasingly Targeting Water Systems

Juliet Song is an international correspondent exclusively covering China news for NTD. She primarily contributes to NTD's "China in Focus," covering U.S.-China relations, the Chinese regime's human rights abuses, and domestic unrest inside China.

Juliet Song

Shows

Fast, compelling, first-hand news from China. China in Focus airs Monday–Friday at 9:30 p.m. ET.

China in Focus

2.8 Million People in China Evacuated Amid Typhoon Bavi

NTD Newsroom comprises teams of reporters, editors, and producers assigned to cover breaking news and other stories.


NTD Newsroom

Breaking news and in-depth analysis from the United States and beyond. We bring you the latest updates, exclusive insights, and sharp discussions on the most pressing issues. NTD Newsroom airs Monday–Friday from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. ET.

US Announces Visa Restrictions Targeting Cybercriminals

Joseph Lord is a congressional reporter for The Epoch Times.


Joseph Lord

Politics

Congress

House Passes Legislation to Make Daylight Saving Time Permanent

News you can trust from the U.S. and around the world. Critical information and insight. We cover the stories that others don’t. NTD News Today airs Monday–Friday at 11 a.m. ET.

NTD News Today

Florida Ticket Wins $800 Million Mega Millions Jackpot

Troy Myers is a regional reporter based in St. Augustine, Florida. His background includes breaking, criminal justice, and investigative writing for local news, producing on a national morning newscast in Washington, D.C., and working with an award-winning, weekly investigative news program. In his free time, he enjoys spending time with his dog at the beach.

Troy Myers

Courts

Appeals Court Upholds Block on Trump Order to Tighten Mail-In Voting, Citizenship Verification

The Associated Press is an American not-for-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. 

The Associated Press

Melina Wisecup is NTD's congressional correspondent based in Washington, covering Capitol Hill and campaign politics.

Melina Wisecup

Sen. Lindsey Graham Likely Died After Aorta Tear, Medical Examiner Says

Bringing you the latest videos, livestreams, and premieres.


NTD Videos

Label

Live

NTD+ Live

Trump Makes an Announcement on Freedom Hauler in the White House

Jackson Richman is a Washington correspondent for The Epoch Times. In addition to Washington politics, he covers the intersection of politics and sports/sports and culture. He previously was a writer at Mediaite and Washington correspondent at Jewish News Syndicate. His writing has also appeared in The Washington Examiner. He is an alum of George Washington University.

Jackson Richman

House Passes Defense Policy Bill That Attaches SAVE America Act

Wildfires forced a mandatory evacuation Sunday in a North Carolina county still recovering from Hurricane Helene, and South Carolina's governor declared an emergency in response to a growing wildfire in that state. Hundreds of miles north, the New Jersey Forest Fire Service was battling a blaze in the Wharton State Forest.

The North Carolina Department of Public Safety announced a mandatory evacuation starting at 8:20 p.m. Saturday for parts of Polk County in western North Carolina about 80 miles west of Charlotte.

“Visibility in area will be reduced and roads/evacuation routes can become blocked; if you do not leave now, you could be trapped, injured, or killed,” the agency said in a social media post.

A shelter had been established in Columbus, North Carolina.

There were three active fires in Polk County, with one spanning 1.9 square miles and another spread over 2.8 square miles with no containment by Sunday afternoon. County spokesperson Kellie Cannon said one home was lost to the larger of the two fires.

A third fire that had burned about 199 acres with 50 percent containment had destroyed three homes. And earlier evacuation order associated with that fire had been lifted, Cannon said.

Additional mandatory evacuations were ordered for areas of Polk County on Sunday evening, according to a North Carolina Emergency Management social media post.

The North Carolina Forest Service's online wildfire public viewer indicated active fires Sunday in Burke County and in Stokes County on the northern border with Virginia.

In South Carolina, Gov. Henry McMaster declared a state of emergency Saturday as emergency crews in Pickens County fought the Table Rock Fire in the Blue Ridge Mountains.

“The State of Emergency allows us to mobilize resources quickly and ensure our firefighters have the support they need,” McMaster said in a statement that reinforced a statewide outdoor burning ban issued Friday by the South Carolina Forestry Commission.

Local fire officials called for voluntary evacuations Saturday of some residents near Table Rock Mountain, the forestry commission said in a social media post.

That human-caused fire grew to more than 300 acres with no containment, the commission said Sunday. Spot fires ignited fresh flames outside of the original fire area and the steep terrain was making it hard for heavier equipment used to contain fires to reach the area, officials said. Downed timber from Hurricane Helene was exacerbating the situation. Voluntary evacuations of approximately 100 residences remained in effect Sunday afternoon.

North Carolina's western region already had been hit hard by Hurricane Helene in September. The hurricane damaged or impacted 5,000 miles of state-maintained roads and damaged 7,000 private roads, bridges and culverts in North Carolina.

The California Branch wildfire burns in New Jersey's Wharton State Forest on March 22, 2025. (New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection via AP)

Also this weekend, the New Jersey Forest Fire Service has been battling a wildfire that broke out in the Wharton State Forest on Saturday. The fire had consumed about 2.7 square miles as of early Sunday morning and was about 50 percent contained, according to an 8 a.m. update on the service's Facebook page.

Emergency officials said they evacuated two campgrounds in the park. Eighteen buildings were near the fire, but the flames were moving away from them and no structures had been evacuated.

The cause of that fire was under investigation.

Latest

Videos

04_Top Stories

Latest Clips

State News

New Jersey

Latest and breaking news, documentaries, movies, and lifestyle content on NTD+.
 
Empower your knowledge and elevate your spirit with NTD+, your go-to destination for truthful news, insightful documentaries, and captivating lifestyle content that enriches your life.

Wildfires Prompt Evacuation in the Carolinas as New Jersey Crews Battle Their Own Blaze

Stefania Cox is an NTD News anchor and national correspondent based at the network's global headquarters in New York City. Stefania anchors "NTD Newsroom," and co-anchors "NTD News Today" weekdays at 10:00 am ET.

Stefania Cox

We present news that is truthful and based on facts, outside of the political fog. Instead of focusing on the negative things happening around us, our mission is to give our viewers a good morning with empathetic and uplifting stories. Our aim is to provide an antidote to negativity by shining a light on the best side of people. We speak to inspiring people who positively impact communities, pursue topics that represent our common human values, and will never miss an opportunity to bring you heartwarming stories.