Updates: Henderson County Wildfire (Nov 2023)
Kenmure Emergency Management Plan
POPLAR DRIVE WILDFIRE (NORTH OF FRUITLAND) IN HENDERSON COUNTY (off East Poplar and Green Mountain Roads)
11/17/2023/FINAL UPDATE:
Henderson County has canceled its State of Emergency, however, other counties in Western North Carolina may still be in a State of Emergency. Until further notice, there is still an INCREASED FIRE DANGER ALERT and a BURN BAN in our county (and there is a PERMANENT BURN BAN IN KENMURE).
The Poplar Drive Wildfire is now 98% contained at 434 acres and is under control by NC Department of Forestry. (The person responsible for carelessly starting the fire while burning leaves has been caught and charged with a misdemeanor under a North Carolina statute (14-140.1.) that says anyone who starts a fire and doesn’t keep careful watch of the burning can be fined up to $50.) We are expecting some rain this evening and possibly tomorrow morning. We are expecting a larger amount of rain next Tuesday and possibly Wednesday (21 & 22 November). Currently, there is a very mild breeze from the north, blowing whatever smoke is left to the south.
Although our local wildfire is 98% contained, please continue to be aware and vigilant, and report any smoke or fires that you may see in our area to both 911 and our security gate (828) 692-5238.
PLEASE REMAIN ALERT … THERE IS STILL A HIGH RISK OF FIRE IN OUR AREA … WILDFIRES ARE A SERIOUS THREAT TO OUR COMMUNITY!
Regards, Will Rodriguez, KPOA EMC Chairman, rodriguw@aol.com
11/15/2023:
Henderson County and other counties in Western North Carolina are still in a State of Emergency with forest firefighters from eleven different states in assistance fighting our wildfires. The Poplar Drive Wildfire is holding at 434 acres, and it is now 95% contained. A slight amount of rain is expected this Friday and Saturday and a better possibility of more rain next Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. Currently, there is a slight wind, 1 to 3 mph, from the east-northeast, blowing whatever smoke is left to the west-southwest. The Air Quality Alert has been canceled. But, due to the dry air mass over us and the low humidity, there is an INCREASED FIRE DANGER and a BURN BAN that is still in effect until further notice.
Please continue to remain aware and vigilant, and report any smoke or fires that you may see in our area to both 911 and our security gate (828) 692-5238.
PLEASE REMAIN ALERT … THERE IS STILL A HIGH RISK OF FIRE IN OUR AREA … WILDFIRES ARE A SERIOUS THREAT TO OUR COMMUNITY!
Regards, Will Rodriguez, KPOA EMC Chairman, rodriguw@aol.com
11/13/2023:
Henderson County and other counties in Western North Carolina are still in a State of Emergency. There is more good news as a result of this weekend’s precipitation, higher humidity, and the controlled burns. The Poplar Drive Wildfire is holding at 434 acres, and it is now 70% contained. A slight amount of rain is expected later this week and early the following Monday and Tuesday (20 & 21 November). Currently, there is a slight wind, 1 to 3 mph, from the northwest, blowing whatever smoke is left to the southeast. However, there remains an Air Quality Alert and a Burn Ban until further notice.
Please continue to remain aware and vigilant, and report any smoke or fires that you may see in our area to both 911 and our security gate (828) 692-5238.
PLEASE REMAIN ALERT AND DON’T BECOME COMPLACENT … THERE IS STILL A HIGH RISK OF FIRE IN OUR AREA … WILDFIRES ARE A SERIOUS THREAT TO OUR COMMUNITY!
Regards, Will Rodriguez, KPOA EMC Chairman, rodriguw@aol.com
11/11/2023:
Henderson County and other counties in Western North Carolina are still in a State of Emergency; this has allowed outside resources to be brought in to help battle the wildfires. There is some more good news as a result of yesterday’s precipitation and higher humidity. The Poplar Road Wildfire is holding at 434 acres; it is now 50% contained. More rain is expected this morning; possibly tonight and tomorrow morning as well. More rain is also expected the latter part of this coming week and early the following week (15-17 & 20-22 November). Currently, there is a mild wind, 4 to 7 mph, from the northeast, blowing the smoke to the southwest. Air Quality Alert and a Burn Ban are still in effect until further notice.
Please continue to remain aware and vigilant, and report any smoke or fires that you may see in our area to both 911 and our security gate (828) 692-5238.
AGAIN, JUST BECAUSE WE HAVE SOME RAIN COMING THROUGH OUR AREA TODAY, TOMORROW AND NEXT WEEK, DON’T BECOME COMPLACENT … WILDFIRES ARE ALWAYS A SERIOUS THREAT TO OUR COMMUNITY!
HAPPY VETERANS DAY!
Regards, Will Rodriguez, KPOA EMC Chairman, rodriguw@aol.com
11/10/2023:
Henderson County is still in a State of Emergency that has brought in outside resources to help battle the fire. The fire is still holding at 431 acres and is 15% contained. Backfires are being set on the west side of the fire along Kyles Creek Road in order to better contain the fire. Currently, there is a light wind from the west northwest, blowing the smoke to the east southeast, helping the firefighters contain the fire. Air Quality Alert and Burn Ban are still in effect until further notice. There is a 50% chance of rain expected tomorrow morning; scattered showers are expected throughout this coming weekend primarily Sunday morning; and more rain is expected towards the end of next week (17-21 November).
Please continue to remain aware and vigilant, and report any smoke or fires that you may see in our area to both 911 and our security gate (828) 692-5238.
DON’T BECOME COMPLACENT; WILDFIRES ARE A SERIOUS THREAT TO OUR COMMUNITY!
Regards, Will Rodriguez, KPOA EMC Chairman, rodriguw@aol.com
11/9/2023:
Henderson County is still in a State of Emergency that has brought in outside resources to help battle the fire. The fire is still holding at 431 acres and is 15% contained. Backfires are being set on the west side of the fire along Kyles Creek Road in order to better contain the fire. Currently, there is a light wind from the west northwest, blowing the smoke to the east southeast, helping the firefighters contain the fire. Air Quality Alert and Burn Ban are still in effect until further notice. There is a 50% chance of rain expected tomorrow morning; scattered showers are expected throughout this coming weekend primarily Sunday morning; and more rain is expected towards the end of next week (17-21 November).
Please continue to remain aware and vigilant, and report any smoke or fires that you may see in our area to both 911 and our security gate (828) 692-5238.
DON’T BECOME COMPLACENT; WILDFIRES ARE A SERIOUS THREAT TO OUR COMMUNITY!
Regards, Will Rodriguez, KPOA EMC Chairman, rodriguw@aol.com
11/8/2023:
Henderson County is still in a State of Emergency that has brought in outside resources to help battle the fire. The fire is holding at 431 acres and is now 15% contained. Currently, there is a light wind from the northwest, blowing the smoke to the southeast which has helped the firefighters to better contain of the fire. Air Quality Alert and Burn Ban are still in effect until further notice. There is a 50% chance of rain expected this Friday, especially in the evening; scattered showers are expected throughout this coming weekend; and more rain is expected towards the end of next week (17-21 November).
Please continue to remain vigilant, and report any smoke or fires that you may see in our area to both 911 and our security gate (828) 692-5238.
DON’T BECOME COMPLACENT; WILDFIRES ARE A SERIOUS THREAT TO OUR COMMUNITY!
Regards, Will Rodriguez, KPOA EMC Chairman, rodriguw@aol.com
11/7/2023:
Henderson County is in a State of Emergency that allows them to seek outside resources to help battle the fire. The fire still encompasses 431 acres and is still 5% contained. Currently, the wind is 3 to 5 mph from the northwest, lightly blowing the smoke to the southeast. There continues to be an Air Quality Alert for Henderson County until further notice. Burn Ban is in effect until further notice as well. There is a 54% chance of rain expected this coming Friday, and more rain is expected towards the end of next week (17-21 November).
Please continue to remain vigilant, and report any smoke or fires that you may see in our area to both 911 and our security gate (828) 692-5238. Please continue to eliminate the combustible debris around the base of your home.
Regards, Will Rodriguez, KPOA EMC Chairman, rodriguw@aol.com
11/6/2023:
Henderson County has declared a State of Emergency allowing them to seek outside resources to help battle the fire. The fire has grown to 430+ acres … 5% contained … currently, the wind is light from the south and the southwest, lightly blowing the smoke to the north. 75+ homes are threatened in the area. There is an Air Quality Alert (fine particulate matter and smoke) for Henderson County that is in effect until further notice. Burn Ban is effect until further notice as well. Unfortunately, rain is not expected until this coming Friday (50% chance); and, more rain is expected towards the middle to the end of next week.
Again, please remain vigilant, and report any smoke or fires that you may see in our area to both 911 and our security gate (828) 692-5238. Please continue to work on your own emergency plans!
Regards, Will Rodriguez, KPOA EMC Chairman, rodriguw@aol.com
11/5/2023:
An update on the wildfire off East Poplar and Green Mountain roads in Henderson County as of this morning, 05 November. The fire has grown to 200+ acres … 5% contained … currently, the wind is from the North-Northwest at 6 MPH, so the smoke is blowing South-Southeast to the Northeast and East of us.
Again, please remain vigilant, and report any smoke or fires that you may see in our area to both 911 and our security gate (828) 692-5238.
Please continue to review the Kenmure Emergency Management Plan, and as a reminder, any outdoor burning of leaves or anything else in Kenmure is strictly forbidden!
Moreover, due to hazardous fire conditions, an outdoor burning ban is in effect for Henderson County as of November 4th at 9 PM. Under the authority of the Henderson County Code, Section 78-16.1, all outdoor burning is prohibited in areas within 100 feet of a structure. The Henderson County burning ban shall remain in effect until conditions improve and the ban is canceled.
Regards, Will Rodriguez, KPOA EMC Chairman, rodriguw@aol.com
11/4/2023:
Please be aware that Firefighters are currently battling a brush fire off East Poplar and Green Mountain roads in Henderson County as of Friday afternoon, Nov. 3.
As of last night, the fire had grown to 20 acres, and crews had the fire 40% contained. By 8:45 pm last night, the fire was at about 25 acres. It is anticipated that the fire will grow to more than 100 acres; crews will remain on scene for several days as they expect that is how long it will take for it to burn.
For our Kenmure community residents, please remain vigilant, review your emergency preparedness procedures and the Kenmure Emergency Management Plan that may be found on the KPOA Website, and remember to clear the area around your home of any combustible debris.
Regards, Will Rodriguez, KPOA EMC Chairman, rodriguw@aol.com