As though residents across the United States weren’t suffering enough from wildfires, a new one has sparked up in the Bat Cave Road area of North Carolina. Images and updates about the fire were posted to Twitter/X by Matt Van Swol, showing the devastation caused by the flames in just a short period. At one point, official evacuation orders were made for those living in the 3000-4500 block of Bat Cave Road, Pine Cove Road, Juliet Drive, and Roy Moore Road, near the Crooked Creek Fire.
The above post begins a long thread detailing everyone concerning the wildfires, from updates about evacuation orders to general images and videos of the chaos. There are various posts that are not part of the thread that also detail other issues that residents of the area have suffered as a result of the fire. His updates showcase the severity of the wildfire, which has affected 887 homes and several outbuildings that have already been reported to be destroyed. Shortly after his first update, the flames grew so great that it was officially named the Crooked Creek Fire.
Unfortunately, the area being hit by the flames is the very same that was devastated by Hurricane Helene just last year. Since the storm subsided, government help to the area has become sparse, and so this only adds to the layers of help needed by Western North Carolina. Currently, much of the fire is contained, though 250 acres have been damaged alongside the buildings mentioned above.
“🚨#BREAKING: RESIDENTS HAVE BEEN ASKED TO EVACUATE DUE TO OUT OF CONTROL WILDFIRE IN WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA NEAR OLD FORT.
Firefighters are saying gusty winds are pushing the fire further and making it difficult to control.
This is NOT good… pray for Western North Carolina.”
Hopefully, the rest of the Crooked Creek Fire will be contained in the coming hours, ending the chaos for those living in Western North Carolina.
