Abigail Margulis

amargulis@citizen-times.com

Editor's note: For the most recent fire coverage, see the following link:

Party Rock fire spreads, forces resident evacuations

LAKE LURE - Evacuation orders were given to portions of Chimney Rock and Lake Lure communities as the Party Rock Fire grew to 977 acres Friday and crossed county lines.

As the fire spread into Buncombe County and crossed the Shumont Mountain containment line Friday morning, officials called for evacuations to ensure the safety of residents and protection of residences.

The level of evacuation varies as follows:

There is a mandatory evacuation of Chimney Rock Village from the intersection of Boys Camp Road and U.S. 74 to the Hickory Nut Falls Campground Bridge intersection with U.S. 74.

There is a mandatory evacuation for those residents and business owners located on Boys Camp Road, from the U.S. 74 intersection to the Burnt Ridge Road intersection.

There is a voluntary evacuation for residents and business owners located on South Side Drive from the Flowering Bridge west to the Hickory Nut Falls Campground Bridge intersection with U.S. 74.

There is a voluntary evacuation for residents in the Bat Cave community. Residents are urged to keep aware of the situation as it develops by staying tuned to local news and updates from the Henderson County Sheriff’s Office. Shelters are located at two locations: Bills Creek Baptist Church, 1475 Bills Creek Rd and Greenhill Baptist Church,1941 US 64-74A Hwy.

There is a pre-evacuation notice for residents from Hickory Nut Falls Campground Bridge intersection with U.S. 74 to the county line.

Residents located from Burnt Ridge Road intersection and Boys Camp Road, to the end of Boys Camp Road will be allowed to remain in their homes, but must provide identification to gain home re-entry.

Chimney Rock, other parks closed for fires

“We know this evacuation is a great inconvenience to our communities, but the importance to protect life is our highest priority,” mayors of Chimney Rock and Lake Lure said in a news release.

Fire managers and town officials expanded the evacuation for Lake Lure by 3 p.m. to include Rumbling Bald Resort communities including Young Mountain South, Youngs Mountain, Chalet Village, Chalet Village North, and Waterside. The community of Apple Valley in not included in this evacuation.

Evacuees with special needs or disability are requested to call 911.

The Party Rock fire grew to 977 acres and first crept into Buncombe County on Thursday night. Firefighters constructed containment lines across the ridge of Shumont Mountain in an attempt to stop flames from spreading as the fire remained at 15 percent containment, according to the N.C. Forest Service.

Due to low humidity and extremely dry fuel conditions, the fire burned actively throughout the night. Flames have also been running uphill at a fast pace.

The N.C. Forest Service planned to conduct burnout operations along the containment lines that run from Shumont Road to Bald Mountain Road if the fire threatens Shumont Mountain

With air quality a concern, Chimney Rock State Park closed Thursday at the N.C. Forest Service's request until further notice. The fire has not affected the park, but the N.C. Forest Service asked for the closure to help ease traffic congestion while firefighters continue to fight the growing blaze.

Gov. Pat McCrory visited the Party Rock fire Thursday after he declared a state of emergency in 25 western counties where more than 20 wildfires are burning on more than 7,500 acres.

"Because of this very long and serious drought, some firefighters have told me that these are the most serious conditions they've seen in 40 years," he said at a news conference at the incident command post in Lake Lure.

InciWeb the Incident Information System: Boteler Fire Large Map

He thanked about 300 individuals from the N.C. Forest Service and local agencies who have pitched in to help protect structures and ensure that no lives have been lost.

Dry conditions have been firefighters largest adversaries and with no rain expected, the fire will continue to burn.

"The weather forecast is not positive," McCrory said. "There is very low humidity especially at nighttime, which means the fire continues to spread."

Additionally, because of low visibility in the morning, firefighters haven't been able to see where the fire is burning. Crews have had to delay any deployment of resources to fight the flames until the afternoon when the sun is out, he said.

Fires cause emergency declaration, drought worsens

Since a state of emergency is now in effect, McCrory said he is reviewing what additional resources he can send to the fire. These include members of the National Guard and more Black Hawk helicopters.

Officials are urging homeowners north and west of the fire to prepare their homes to be more wildfire defensible by cleaning leaves and needles from rooftops and gutters, removing flammable vegetation near home, and clearing the yard of leaf litter and other flammable debris. Additional home protection actions can be found at http://firewise.org.

Several evacuations have occurred in Lake Lure because of flames threatening structures, and McCrory said if flames creep into more areas and threaten lives, more evacuations will take place.

About 38 residents were evacuated Tuesday with an additional two houses evacuating Wednesday.

With so many charred acres across the western part of the state, a burn ban has also been issued in 25 counties. Fires including campfires are also banned at 14 state parks in Western North Carolina, and the Blue Ridge Parkway also has a burn ban in place.

The ban, which prohibits any fire building or maintaining and using of campfires, charcoal fires or stove fires, is in place until further notice.

Growing WNC fires lead to national call for help

Fires banned in 14 WNC parks; wildfires burning in 2