Amid staffing shortages at N.C. Forest Service, inmate firefighters in a state program are battling more WNC wildfires.

The fire was first reported on March 20, caused by a downed power line. North Carolina remains under a statewide burn ban.

Polk County officials lift some evacuation orders Polk County ... The National Weather Service says that for all of Western North Carolina, there is an increased fire danger from noon Saturday, March ...

High winds, abnormally dry conditions and debris from Hurricane Helene have only increased difficulty for firefighting crews.

The worst wildfires in the country right now are burning in Western North Carolina and the South ... personnel have been battling the blazes in Polk County, where some residents have faced ...

Firefighters continue preparing firebreaks and protecting structures in anticipation of elevated temperatures, high winds and ...

Multiple wildfires continue to burn in Western North Carolina and the South Carolina ... For instance, earlier Friday, the Black Cove Fire in Polk County was cited as being 17% contained.

In parts of Polk County, it was hard to tell that just a few miles north of Columbus, some of nearly 500 firefighters from ...

The North Carolina Forest Service said the Black Cove complex fire is the highest-priority fire in the United States.

"The wildfires in western North Carolina continue to grow, so I have expanded our State of Emergency,” Stein said in a statement. “Our State Emergency Response Team is responding with every tool at ...

“Here I am in Polk County, and these folks are experiencing a double whammy.” Gov. Josh Stein speaks to the media about the wildfire situation in Western North Carolina on Thursday, March ...