Wildfires prompt evacuation in the Carolinas as New Jersey crews battle their own blaze

Wildfires forced a mandatory evacuation Sunday in a North Carolina county still recovering from Hurricane Helene, and South Carolina's governor declared an emergency in response to a growing wildfire in that state. Hundreds of miles north, the New Jersey Forest Fire Service was battling a blaze in the Wharton State Forest.

The North Carolina Department of Public Safety announced a mandatory evacuation starting at 8:20 p.m. Saturday for parts of Polk County in western North Carolina about 80 miles (129 kilometers) west of Charlotte.

“Visibility in area will be reduced and roads/evacuation routes can become blocked; if you do not leave now, you could be trapped, injured, or killed,” the agency said in a social media post.

A shelter had been established in Columbus, North Carolina.

There were three active fires in Polk County, with one spanning 1.9 square miles (5 square kilometers) and another spread over 2.8 square miles (7.3 square kilometers) with no containment by Sunday afternoon. County spokesperson Kellie Cannon said one home was lost to the larger of the two fires.

A third fire that had burned about 199 acres (81 hectares) with 50% containment had destroyed three homes. And earlier evacuation order associated with that fire had been lifted, Cannon said.

Additional mandatory evacuations were ordered for areas of Polk County on Sunday evening, according to a North Carolina Emergency Management social media post.

The North Carolina Forest Service's online wildfire public viewer indicated active fires Sunday in Burke County and in Stokes County on the northern border with Virginia.

In South Carolina, Gov. Henry McMaster declared a state of emergency Saturday as emergency crews in Pickens County fought the Table Rock Fire in the Blue Ridge Mountains.

“The State of Emergency allows us to mobilize resources quickly and ensure our firefighters have the support they need,” McMaster said in a statement that reinforced a statewide outdoor burning ban issued Friday by the South Carolina Forestry Commission.

Local fire officials called for voluntary evacuations Saturday of some residents near Table Rock Mountain, the forestry commission said in a social media post.

That human-caused fire grew to more than 300 acres (121 hectares) with no containment, the commission said Sunday. Spot fires ignited fresh flames outside of the original fire area and the steep terrain was making it hard for heavier equipment used to contain fires to reach the area, officials said. Downed timber from Hurricane Helene was exacerbating the situation. Voluntary evacuations of approximately 100 residences remained in effect Sunday afternoon.

North Carolina's western region already had been hit hard by Hurricane Helene in September. The hurricane damaged or impacted 5,000 miles (8,046 kilometers) of state-maintained roads and damaged 7,000 private roads, bridges and culverts in North Carolina.

Also this weekend, the New Jersey Forest Fire Service has been battling a wildfire that broke out in the Wharton State Forest on Saturday. The fire had consumed about 2.7 square miles (7 square kilometers) as of early Sunday morning and was about 50% contained, according to an 8 a.m. update on the service's Facebook page.

Emergency officials said they evacuated two campgrounds in the park. Eighteen buildings were near the fire, but the flames were moving away from them and no structures had been evacuated.

The cause of that fire was under investigation.

Firefighters prepare to fight the wildfires in Polk County, N.C., on Saturday, March 22, 2025. (WLOS-TV via AP)

Smoke from the wildfires fill the sky in Polk County, N.C., on Saturday, March 22, 2025. (WLOS-TV via AP)

Firefighters prepare to fight the wildfires in Polk County, N.C., on Saturday, March 22, 2025. (WLOS-TV via AP)

A firefighter looks on as the California Branch wildfire burns Saturday, March 22, 2025 in New Jersey's Wharton State Forest. (New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection via AP)

A firefighter looks on as the California Branch wildfire burns Saturday, March 22, 2025 in New Jersey's Wharton State Forest. (New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection via AP)

The California Branch wildfire burns in New Jersey's Wharton State Forest on Saturday, March 22, 2025. (New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection via AP)

The California Branch wildfire burns in New Jersey's Wharton State Forest on Saturday, March 22, 2025. (New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, via AP)

BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — Tage Thompson scored the go-ahead goal 1:23 into the third period, and Lindy Ruff became the NHL’s second coach to win 600 games with one franchise in the Buffalo Sabres’ 3-2 win over the Ottawa Senators on Tuesday night.

Jack Quinn and Jacob Bernard-Docker also scored for Buffalo, and James Reimer stopped 30 shots in winning two straight starts for the first time this season. Ruff is in the first season of his second stint in Buffalo, and improved his record with the franchise to 600-467-90 with 78 ties.

Ruff trails only Al Arbor, who won 740 games with the New York Islanders.

Brady Tkachuk and David Perron scored power-play goals for the Senators. Anton Forsberg stopped 21 shots in an outing the Senators blew two one-goal leads.

MAPLE LEAFS 7, FLYERS 2

TORONTO (AP) — William Nylander and John Tavares each had two goals and two assists, and Toronto beat Philadelphia.

Bobby McMann, David Kampf and Max Domi also scored for Toronto, and Matthew Knies had two assists. Anthony Stolarz made 17 saves.

Ryan Poehling and Sean Couturier scored for Philadelphia, which lost its sixth straight. Samuel Ersson had 23 saves.

LIGHTNING 6, PENGUINS 1

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Nikita Kucherov had a goal and two assists to lead Tampa Bay over Pittsburgh.

Anthony Cirelli scored twice in the first period, Brandon Hagel and Ryan McDonagh both had a goal and an assist. Brayden Point also scored for Tampa Bay. Andrei Vasilevskiy finished with 14 saves.

Tristan Jarry started in net for the Penguins but was pulled 16 minutes into the first period after allowing four goals on seven shots. Alex Nedeljkovic stopped 18 shots in relief. Bryan Rust scored for Pittsburgh.

The Lightning scored four goals in the first period in the span of 3:47 to race out to the lead and never looked back.

PREDATORS 3, HURRICANES 1

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Luke Evangelista scored twice, Juuse Saros stopped 34 shots in his 200th career win, and Nashville beat Carolina.

Michael Bunting also scored for the Predators, who won for just the second time in seven games.

Taylor Hall scored for the Hurricanes, who lost their second straight after an eight-game win streak. Pyotr Kochetkov had 13 saves.

BLUES 6, CANADIENS 1

ST. LOUIS ( AP) — Philip Broberg and Robert Thomas each had a goal and three assists, and St. Louis beat Montreal to extend their active NHL-best winning streak to seven games.

Broberg recorded four points in a game for the first time. Coupled with Minnesota’s regulation home loss to Vegas, St. Louis is now two points back of the first wild-card spot in the Western Conference.

Jordan Kyrou got his 31st goal of the season, Dylan Holloway, Alexandre Texier and Zack Bolduc also scored and Jordan Binnington made 24 saves for the Blues, who are now five points up on Vancouver for the second wild card.

The Canadiens lost their third in a row despite a quick-answer goal from captain Nick Suzuki 47 seconds after Kyrou opened the scoring late in the first period. They did not score again.

GOLDEN KNIGHTS 5, WILD 1

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Jack Eichel posted his fifth career hat trick as Vegas defeated Minnesota.

Brett Howden also scored and Noah Hanifin and Mark Stone each had two assists for Vegas. Adin Hill made 23 saves for the Western Division-leading Golden Knights, who won their fourth straight.

Marcus Johansson scored a goal and Marc-Andre Fleury stopped 33 shots for Minnesota, which lost for the second time in two nights.

JETS 3, CAPITALS 2, OT

WINNIPEG, Manitoba (AP) — Nikolaj Ehlers scored on a breakaway 1:28 into overtime and Winnipeg clinched a playoff spot, beating Washington in a matchup of the NHL’s top two teams.

Josh Morrissey and Mason Appleton also scored for the Jets, who swept the two-game season series with the Capitals — both wins coming in overtime. Connor Hellebuyck finished with 27 saves.

Alex Ovechkin scored his 889th goal to move six away from breaking Wayne Gretzky’s NHL record, and Andrew Masngiapane also scored for the Capitals. Logan Thompson had 22 saves.

AVALANCHE 5, RED WINGS 2

DENVER (AP) — Nathan MacKinnon had a goal and an assist, Jonathan Drouin and Martin Necas had two assists apiece, and Colorado rolled past Detroit.

Devon Toews had a goal and two assists, and Cale Makar, Valeri Nichushkin and Logan O’Connor also scored for the Avalanche, which improved to 11-1-1 in its past 13 games.

J.T. Compher, who played for Colorado from 2016-23, and Austin Watson scored for the Red Wings.

MacKinnon, the NHL’s points leader, has a point in each of his past 22 home games, tying the longest home point streak in the NHL this season.

Mackenzie Blackwood saved 21 of Detroit’s 23 shots on goal.

FLAMES 4, KRAKEN 3, OT

CALGARY, Alberta (AP) — Nazem Kadri scored his second goal of the game 3:58 into overtime, sending Calgary to a victory over Seattle.

Adam Klapka and Rasmus Andersson also scored for the Flames, who have won four straight. They are four points behind streaking St. Louis for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference, with three games in hand.

Jaden Schwartz had a power-play goal and an assist for the Kraken, who lost their third in a row. Tye Kartye and Jordan Eberle also scored.

KINGS 3, RANGERS 1

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Kevin Fiala scored twice, Darcy Kuemper stopped 22 shots, and Los Angeles beat New York.

Phillip Danault also scored as the Kings extended their home point streak to 15 games (12-0-3). Los Angeles is the second team in the NHL to have a home streak of at least 15 games, joining Washington (11-0-5).

J. T. Miller scored for New York, and Igor Shesterkin finished with 30 saves. The Rangers have lost four of their last five games.

Ottawa Senators center Tim Stützle (18) is hooked by Buffalo Sabres defenseman Bowen Byram (4) during the second period of an NHL hockey game Tuesday, March 25, 2025, in Buffalo, N.Y. (AP Photo/Jeffrey T. Barnes)