You can now add South Carolina to the list of Southeastern states with active, drought-induced wildfires.
Late last night Greenville News reported that wildfires on the iconic Table Rock Mountain and neighboring Pinnacle Mountain, are responsible for hazy, smoky air in Greenville, SC and surrounding areas.
The South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR) has issued a burn ban on the 33,000-acre Jocassee Gorges area in northern Pickens and Oconee counties.
According to the SCDNR, a 10-mile section of the Foothills Trail between Table Rock State Park and Sassafras Mountain has been closed as 30 or more firefighters battle the significant wildfire, mostly on State Park lands.
@SCDNR here are 2 more from my back yard pic.twitter.com/qSGOKd3kKn
— Greg Ellis (@geofkc) November 10, 2016
Officials have determined that the Pinnacle Mountain wildfire was sparked by a campfire burning on the Foothills Trail on November 9.
Both the Table Rock fire and the Pinnacle Mountain fire have reportedly reached approximately 250 acres in size.
In addition to the SCDNR imposed burn ban, the South Carolina Forestry Commission has issued burn bans for 5 Upstate counties and the entire Piedmont region.
Like the fires currently burning in Western North Carolina, North Georgia, East Tennessee and Virginia, the South Carolina wildfires are a direct result of extremely dry conditions brought about by weeks of drought and unseasonably warm weather.
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