On March 19, a fire caused by a downed power line was reported in Polk County, according to Madison County Ranger Bo Dossett.
The fire would become the titular fire for the Black Cove Complex in Polk County, a combination of three smaller fires including the Black Cove Fire, the Deep Woods Fire and the Fish Hook Fire.
Last week, there was also a wildfire in Stokes County which was a result of a burn pile from January being reignited by high winds, Stokes County Ranger Jonathan Young said. It was the fourth largest wildfire recorded in county history, he said, and, as of noon on Tuesday, was declared 100 percent contained.
“There's still a few smoldering logs on the interior of the fire, but there's nothing that we're concerned that they could flare back up that would cause it to escape,” Young said.
Due to Hurricane Helene, the environmental landscape has been radically changed, Dossett said. He said the storm caused major canopy destruction and breakage of large, mature trees, which provided abundant fuel for wildfires to break out as the trees dry.
“That's been the big thing that's different [of] these fires than what we've seen in the past, is just the difficulty of getting into them,” Dossett said. “You know, when the woods are just this thick, tangle of dead and downed trees, it's very hard to move through the woods, very hard to cut fire breaks in and that's what's been really difficult about this fire.”
Dossett said it is unrealistic to accumulate enough water to fully extinguish larger fires. Instead, he said incident management teams try to remove the fire's fuel by building fuel breaks, which are made through clearing out areas of dry leaves, sticks, dead grass and any other flammable debris.
Polk County Public Information Officer Kellie Cannon said residents of Polk County can receive updates on the wildfires from reports that are posted in public areas including grocery stores and gas stations. Affected areas will also receive text messages similar to an emergency alert system, she said, and residents who need to evacuate can go to emergency shelters in Columbus.
Cannon said people who do not live in affected areas and have health issues are recommended to wear an N95 mask to prevent smoke inhalation. Additionally, she said there is currently a flight restriction on the area so that firefighting aircrafts can safely do their job.
