BREVARD — Wildfires that have erupted in western North Carolina this week have forced some parishioners from area churches to evacuate their homes, while others are preparing for possible evacuation as parishes and a school remain on the alert – only six months after Tropical Storm Helene devastated the region.
Dry weather, high winds and piles of debris lingering after Tropical Storm Helene have created a perfect storm of fuel for fires that currently burn in seven western counties: Buncombe, Haywood, Henderson, Jackson, Polk, Swain and Transylvania. A statewide burn ban remains in effect due to the extremely dry conditions.
Some parishioners from Sacred Heart Parish in Brevard, located in Transylvania County, have been forced from their homes under mandatory evacuation orders because of the Table Rock Complex Wildfire, according to Father Shawn O’Neal, Sacred Heart's pastor.
That fire ignited March 21 in Table Rock State Park in South Carolina and crossed into North Carolina March 27. It has forced residents in two South Carolina counties as well as Transylvania County to evacuate. Officials said March 27 that firefighters from as far away as Montana are battling the blaze, which so far has burned more than 4,550 acres. (See the N.C. Forest Service's interactive wildfire map.)
Sacred Heart Church itself is not under the evacuation order and neither is the town of Brevard. Father O’Neal said the people who evacuated lived near Cedar Mountain and other affected neighborhoods in the southern part of the county.
“The parish property itself is far enough away from the fires not to be in danger, but this is a concern to many parishioners,” Father O’Neal said.
Firefighters worked through the night March 27 on the Black Cove Fire, using backburns to slow the spread and reinforcing firelines under dry, windy conditions.Transylvania County is under a state of emergency because of the Table Rock fire and two others in proximity, the Rattlesnake Creek fire at Pisgah National Forest and the Persimmon Ridge fire in South Carolina, which has consumed more than 1,350 acres.
Father O’Neal said the parish is “on stand-by” in case evacuations become necessary or to provide for any needs that may arise, including potentially opening the fellowship hall to evacuees or those affected by the fire if needed.
The Black Cove Complex Fire in Polk County has burned more than 3,000 acres, destroyed several homes and is being called “the highest priority fire in the U.S.” by fire officials as more than 440 firefighters from North Carolina and across the country battle the blaze. The Deep Woods wildfire is also ongoing in the county.
Polk County is home to St. John the Baptist Church in Tryon, but currently neither the parish nor the Tryon area are under any evacuation orders or threats from the fire, said Father Matthew Buettner, parish administrator. He said a few parishioners were forced to evacuate their homes for a night or two, but none have experienced any damage.
At Immaculata Catholic School in Hendersonville, Principal Margaret Beale is keeping in close touch with several families who have been told to be prepared to evacuate in case the fires in Polk County cross into Henderson County. The fire threat comes just six months after many families at the school were impacted by Tropical Storm Helene.
“We’re trying to keep things as normal as possible, but at the same time we’re making plans because we want to be prepared to help them if they need us,” Beale said.
Smoke from Polk County has caused the air quality to plummet in Hendersonville to the point that Immaculata’s students are being kept inside for recess and aren’t changing classes to keep doors from being opened too often.
“The students are staying in the rooms and the teachers are coming to them because we don’t want the smoke to get inside,” Beale said. “A couple hours into the school day, you could see a smoke haze over everything. Initially it was in the distance, but on Thursday you couldn’t even see the mountains.”
Officials from the Diocese of Charlotte are monitoring the fires but so far none of the diocese’s properties in western North Carolina are in danger, said Daniel Ward, head of the properties and risk management department.
“We’ve had no reported issues from the fires,” Ward said. “They are mainly affecting the communities surrounding our properties there.”
Staff members of Catholic Charities also are monitoring the situation in case the agency is asked to provide assistance to people affected by the fires, said executive director and CEO Gerry Carter.
“We’re tracking the areas where homes could be affected, and we’ve already spoken to Catholic Charities USA about the availability of disaster funds if needed,” Carter said. “We’re putting a plan in place to be able to respond should there be people impacted by the fires who need us.”
— Christina Lee Knauss, Catholic News Herald. Photos courtesy of the North Carolina Forest Service.