Polk County Wildfires in Hurricane scarred landcape
All photos made by Sean Rayford for Getty Images in Polk County North Caroina on Martch 24, 2025
Thursday marks the six month anniversary of Hurricane Helene’s assault on Western North Carolina. Along the Green River in Polk County, crumpled vehicles and debris still litter the sides of the road where stretches are temporary one lane gravel passages, deemed “primitive” by orange warning signs.
On Monday morning, after a small round of showers, thick smoke hung in the air as local residents who had received evacuation orders the night before — navigated back to their homes as three wildfires burned mostly uncontained in Polk County.
‘What’s the latest?” I asked one man in a late 80’s white Ford pickup. He told me he wasn’t sure and that was the purpose of his drive. I sensed exhaustion and fear.
Two of fires have been atributed to power lines and all three started late last week.
Claiming about 5,500 acres and causing the evacuation of 165 homes were the neighboring Black Cove and Deep Woods fires near Saluda, NC. Locals described most of the firefighting action taking place on Sunday afternoon but officials warned that dry and windy conditions would return later in the day.
States of emergency were issued in both South and North Carolina and burn bans set to mitigate increased risks from unseasonably dry conditions and an enormous amount of tinder and fuel on the ground — as a result of Helene.
In a statement issued Monday night, Polk County government said 50 fire departments were battling the three fires.
“Currently there are 263 personnel from North Carolina and other states are present to manage the incident. Firefighters have come from South Carolina, Michigan, Montana, Wyoming, Tennessee, Oregon, South Dakota, and California.”
E.J. Dwigans, an NC Forest Service spokesman says the rugged terrain, made more difficult by the hurricane is the biggest challenge fighting the blazes.
About the author: Sean Rayford is a freelance photojournalist and documentary photographer based in South Carolina covering the southeastern United States. You can see some of his work at www.seanrayford.com