NORTH CAROLINA — Governor Josh Stein has issued a state of emergency in response to wildfires burning in western North Carolina.
The governor and emergency management officials are urging North Carolinians to be aware of high fire danger conditions across the state.
All residents are encouraged to pay close attention to local emergency alerts and evacuation notifications.
“The wildfires in western North Carolina continue to grow, so I have expanded our state of emergency,” said Governor Josh Stein. “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 said it has been assisting counties with resource and personnel needs since late last week. It has deployed communications resources, tactical emergency telecommunicators, and incident management personnel.
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, and Yancey, as well as the tribal lands in the State of North Carolina held by the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians.
To monitor current fires across the state, click here. Visit www.readync.gov for information on how you and your family can be prepared for all emergencies and disasters.
VIDEO: Crews make progress in WNC after wildfires prompt evacuation order
©2025 Cox Media Group
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/cmg/LH3JSJEF3VBLRJLJQESEAG34AM.png)
