As the Table Rock Complex Fire continues to spread, jumping the state line into Transylvania County, North Carolina, it has now become the largest mountain wildfire in South Carolina history.
As of Saturday afternoon, the fires had grown to more than 12,000 acres, surpassing the November 2016 Pinnacle Mountain Fire that peaked at 10,623 acres, according to data from the South Carolina Forestry Commission.
Fire crews fought the 2016 fire, fueled largely by extreme drought conditions, for more than a month before it was brought under control.
“The drought, rugged terrain, and the length and complexity of the firefighting effort required the Forestry Commission to request assistance from many other agencies… Many out of state resources were also utilized, including an Incident Management Team from Utah, hand crews and overhead personnel from many western states, and aircraft to assist with fire suppression,” according to the commission. “These included a Chinook from the Georgia National Guard and the use of CL-415 Amphibious Water Scooping airplanes on contract from the US Forest Service.”
Similar efforts are ongoing in South Carolina and North Carolina to control the current fires.
LIVE UPDATES: Some containment, but Table Rock fire continues to grow, more smoke in air
As of Saturday afternoon, the Table Rock Fire is at 9% containment while the Persimmon Ridge Fire is 24% contained.
In South Carolina evacuation orders remain in place, and there is no reported damage to homes.
This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Table Rock Complex Fire shatters wildfire record in South Carolina
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