A Polk County wildfire around the towns of Tryon and Saluda has now spread to approximately 593 acres with 60% containment as of Monday evening.

More than 120 firefighters from 50 area departments are having success tamping down on the fires, which is welcome news to residents near fire lines in and around Saluda and Tryon.

"We're just really glad to hear helicopters and planes out here knowing they’re trying to contain this fire," said Carol Powell, who lives in Tryon. "We were really scared it was coming over."

News 13 confirmed that North Carolina Forest Service crews are using aggressive tactics to extinguish what officials call the Melrose fire. Helicopter crews launched sustained aerial water attacks all day Monday, where they dropped buckets of water on burning ridges.

"They're not the only ones," said JP Palmer, who lives on a private lake outside of Saluda where the helicopters were dropping down to refill buckets. "On the first day, there were Chinook helicopters coming in, and you know how big a Chinook helicopter is."

Crews continue to work fire lines and do back-burning to control spread. Fire and emergency teams are also in high-elevation subdivisions, one of which News 13 visited: Oceanview Drive outside Saluda. The area has beautiful views but in the distance, smoke is seen billowing up from ridges.

North Carolina Forest Service officials are visiting residents to make sure they are safe and comfortable staying in their homes.

There are currently no mandatory evacuation orders, but there is concern.

"It's hard to breathe out here," said Jamie Johnson, who lives outside Saluda. "The smoke's been coming through the valley and it gets dense and wafts away with the wind."

Johnson grew up in Saluda and has lived on his family’s three-acre property for 30 years. Now, he's nervous.

"I was up all night," he said. "You can see the glow up over the hill. Forty or fifty trucks have come down through here. We just don't know if we need to pack up and grab animals and go to a hotel, or what."

Tryon Mayor J. Alan Peoples says the fire started when a tree fell on a power line and sparked.

Crews with the U.S. Forest Service and other agencies are working to protect homes in the affected areas.

A Facebook post by Polk County Emergency Management/Fire Marshal says operations are "going well" and crews have "adequate resources" to monitor the blaze and protect structures.

 

STORY & PHOTO COURTESY OF ABC 13 WLOSMelrose fire in Polk County spreads to 593 acres with 60% containment