By Elisabeth Strillacci

A state of emergency has been issued by Governor Josh Stein in response to the still only partially contained wildfires in western North Carolina and to the continued high fire risk across the state, and it includes Rowan County.

According to the State of Emergency Stein issued Wednesday, March 26, he has extended the order across the state, stating a state of emergency “exists in the counties and tribal lands listed below, due to the current and anticipated impacts from multiple wildfires combined with the moderate drought conditions and abnormally dry conditions that have increased the risk of hazardous wildfires.” That list includes Rowan County, along with 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, Rutherford, Stanly, Swain, Transylvania, Union, Watauga, Wilkes, Yancey, as well as the tribal lands in the State of North Carolina held by the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians.

The governor and emergency management officials are urging North Carolinians to be aware of high fire danger conditions across the state. All residents should pay close attention to local emergency alerts and evacuation notifications. In addition, the burn ban that went into effect earlier this week remains in effect, meaning any permits previously obtained are no longer valid.

According to reports from fire departments across Rowan County, a number of residents either remain unaware of the ban, or think it does not apply to permits or to small backyard debris fires. It does. And while officials say they normally try to be patient, in this case, the danger is much higher because of the combined dry conditions and heavy winds, and it does not take much for a small fire to quickly get out of control, even when monitored. There are misdemeanor citations and fines associated with what are now illegal burns.

“The wildfires in western North Carolina continue to grow, so I have expanded our state of emergency,” said 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 has been assisting counties with resource and personnel needs since late last week. North Carolina Emergency Management has deployed communications resources, tactical emergency telecommunicators, and incident management personnel to the scene. The North Carolina Forest Service is assisting with incident management and firefighting efforts and the North Carolina Office of State Fire Marshal has deployed fire department from across the state to western North Carolina to assist. Forest rangers from the Rowan County area are currently deployed helping in Polk County.

To stay up to date on evacuation orders, follow local government websites and social media outlets and enable emergency alerts on cell phones. Residents can monitor current fires across the state here. Go to www.readync.gov for information on how you and your family can be prepared for all emergencies and disasters.