WE HAVE A LOOK AT TODAY’S TOP NEWS STORIES. YOUR TRAFFIC AND WEATHER ALL BEFORE YOU HEAD OUT THE DOOR. THAT’S RIGHT. SEVERAL WILDFIRES ARE BURNING ACROSS THE CAROLINAS. WE BEGIN WITH OUR ISABELLE MARAK LIVE AT TABLE ROCK STATE PARK IN PICKENS COUNTY. ISABEL. HEY, ERIN AND DESTINY. YOU CAN’T SEE MUCH OUT HERE BECAUSE IT’S SO DARK. BUT THE TABLE ROCK STATE PARK FIRE IS BEHIND ME. UP HERE ON THE MOUNTAIN, YOU CAN’T REALLY SEE ANYTHING LIKE I MENTIONED, BUT YOU CAN FEEL AND SMELL THAT SMOKE OUTSIDE. NOW, THIS FIRE IN THE PERSIMMON RIDGE FIRE, THEY’RE BOTH BEING CATEGORIZED NOW AS A COMPLEX FIRE, WHICH BASICALLY JUST MEANS THAT TWO FIRES ARE CLOSE IN PROXIMITY AND CREWS ARE GOING TO BE WORKING ON BOTH OF THESE FIRES. FROM ONE INCIDENT POST. NOW, THE TABLE ROCK FIRE HERE IS OVER A THOUSAND ACRES. AND OFFICIALS SAY THEY ANTICIPATE IT TO INCREASE IN ACTIVITY TODAY. THIS IS BECAUSE OF LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY AND HIGH WINDS. BUT YESTERDAY, THE PICKENS COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE SAYS IT WAS A BUSY DAY FOR FIRST RESPONDERS. IT SAYS MORE THAN 100 PEOPLE WERE OUT THERE WORKING ON THOSE FIRE LINES TO HELP CONTAIN THE FLAMES, AND THEY EXPECT FOR IT TO BE A LITTLE BIT MORE OF THAT WORK HERE TODAY AS THEY BATTLE. ALSO, THOSE WEATHER CONDITIONS. WE’LL CONTINUE TO KEEP YOU UPDATED BOTH ON AIR AND ONLINE AT WYFF4.COM. BUT FOR NOW, LIVE IN PICKENS COUNTY, ISABELLE MARAK WIFE NEWS FOUR. THANK YOU. ISABEL. IN GREENVILLE COUNTY, FIREFIGHTERS ARE FIGHTING A WILDFIRE THAT STARTED ON SUNDAY, AND IT’S BURNED MORE THAN 300 ACRES. PHOTOJOURNALIST JARED MCDARIS HAS AN EXCLUSIVE LOOK FROM SKY FOUR. THE PERSIMMON RIDGE FIRE IN NORTHERN GREENVILLE COUNTY STARTED OVER THE WEEKEND. TWO COMMUNITIES IMPACTED ARE THE OIL CAMP AREA AND CLIFF RIDGE SUBDIVISION. LAKE CUNNINGHAM FIRE OFFICIALS ASK PEOPLE TO STAY AWAY FROM THE AREA FOR THEIR PROTECTION, AS WELL AS THAT OF FIRE CREWS. THEY ARE FIGHTING THE FIRE WITH A UTV CREW AS WELL AS TRADITIONAL FIRE ENGINES WORKING TO STOP THE SPREAD OF THE FIRE AND PROTECT STRUCTURES. SOUTH CAROLINA STATE PARKS SAYS. CAESARS HEAD STATE PARK AND JONES GAP STATE PARK ARE CLOSED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE, AND A REMINDER A BURN BAN REMAINS IN EFFECT IN SKY4 OVER NORTHERN GREENVILLE COUNTY. JARED MCDARIS, WYFF NEWS FOUR. WELL, NOW TO POLK COUNTY, NORTH CAROLINA THREE WILDFIRES HAVE BURNED NEARLY 5000 ACRES SINCE LAST WEEK, AND THE FIRES HAVE FORCED SEVERAL EVACUATIONS FROM HOMES AS CREWS BATTLE THE DRY AND WINDY CONDITIONS. SEVERAL FIRE CREWS WERE STATIONED ALONG GREEN RIVER COVE ROAD YESTERDAY. THE FOREST SERVICE SAYS THERE ARE MORE THAN 250 FIREFIGHTERS WHO HAVE RESPONDED TO HELP SO FAR. HOWEVER, DAMAGE FROM HURRICANE HELENE LIKE DOWNED TREES AND WASHED OUT ROADS ARE POSING A CHALLENGE FOR FIREFIGHTERS TO CONTAIN THE FLAMES. NOT ONLY ARE WE HAVING TO WORK OUR WAY THROUGH DOWNED TREES AND DEBRIS JUST TO GET TO WHERE THESE FIRES ARE, BECAUSE THEY ARE BURNING IN VERY REMOTE AREAS. BUT A LOT OF THESE ROADS AND ACCESSES ARE VERY TIGHT. ONE WAY IN, ONE WAY OUT TYPE OF SITUATION UP THERE. WELL, THE FOREST SERVICE SAYS THE BLACK COVE FIRE HAS BURNED MORE THAN 2800 ACRES AND IS 0% CONTAINED. THE DEEP WOODS FIRE IS ABOUT 2700 ACRES AND 0% CONTAINED, AND THE FISHHOOK FIRE IS 199 ACRES AND 69% CONTAINED. SOUTH CAROLINA AND NORTH CAROLINA HAVE BOTH BEEN APPROVED FOR FEMA’S FIRE MANAGEMENT ASSISTANCE GRANT. IN RESPONSE TO THE WILDFIRES. WE’RE TOLD IT MAKES THE STATES ELIGIBLE FOR REIMBURSEMENT FROM THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT FOR COSTS ASSOCIATED WITH BATTLING THE FIRES. THE FUNDS WILL HELP COVER EXPENSES FOR PERSONNEL, EQUIPMENT AND FIREFIGHTING OPERATIONS, INCLUDING AIR TANKERS, BULLDOZERS AND ADDITIONAL FIRE CREWS. OKAY. GOOD MORNING. 646 WE’VE GOT AIR QUALITY ALERTS RIGHT NOW FROM RUTHERFORDTON HENDERSONVILLE. THIS DOES INCLUDE LAKE LURE ALL THE WAY DOWN TO PICKENS COUNTY AND PARTS OF GREENVILLE COUNTY AND SPARTANBURG COUNTY AS WELL. SO IF YOU HAVE RESPIRATORY ISSUES, YOU HAVE SEVERE ASTHMA OR TROUBLE BREATHING. IF YOU LIVE IN ANY OF THOSE AREAS DUE TO SOME OF THAT SMOKE FROM WILDFIRES, YOU WANT TO LIMIT YOUR TIME OUTSIDE. IN FACT, IF I WERE YOU, I’D JUST STAY INSIDE WHILE THAT SMOKE IS THAT THICK. 31 DEGREES RIGHT NOW IN FRANKLIN, YOU’RE DEFINITELY THE COOLER SPOT. LIVE SUPER DOPPLER FOUR RADAR. FINDING A FEW SPRINKLES AS A COOL FRONT BEGINS TO ARRIVE. BUT THAT’S GOING TO BE ABOUT IT. THAT’S ALL WE’RE GOING TO SEE AND FEEL. FOR THE MOST PART TODAY IT IS GOING TO BE WARM TEMPERATURES GETTING INTO THE MID AND UPPER 70S, BUT THOSE WIND GUSTS ARE GOING TO BE VERY STRONG THIS AFTERNOON, GUSTING OVER 30MPH. THAT’S NOT GREAT NEWS FOR WILDFIRES AND NOT GREAT NEWS FOR THOSE WORKING OUTSIDE. WE’LL TAKE A LOOK AT YOUR FOUR DAY PLUS. I’LL HAVE THAT COMING UP IN ABOUT EIGHT MINUTES FROM RIGHT NOW. THAT INCLUDES THE WEEKEND, BY THE WAY. BUT FIRST, LET’S GET YOU OUTSIDE, GET A CHECK ON THOSE ROADS, SEE HOW TRAFFIC IS LOOKING. VICTORIA MOVING SLOWLY AS WE HEAD OUT TOWARDS 85. NOW THIS IS SOUTHBOUND NEAR HIGHWAY 101 MILE MARKER 60. SEEING THAT BACKUP FOR THE EXIT. BUT WE DO HAVE A CRASH TO LET YOU KNOW ABOUT AS WELL. WE DO HAVE A CRASH ON I 85 SOUTHBOUND. NOW. THIS IS AT EXIT 48 B NEAR LAURENS ROAD. IT’S NOT CAUSING TOO MANY DELAYS ON THE INTERSTATE, BUT IF YOU ARE HEADING ON TOWARDS 85, WE’RE SEEING A LITTLE BIT OF A SLOWDOWN NOW. TRAVEL TIMES 85. SOUTHBOUND 26 TO HIGHWAY 101. NOW IN THE YELLOW THAT HAS GONE UP. VICTORIA. THANK YOU. HURRICANE HELENE’S FLOOD WATERS DESTROYED ROADS AND BRIDGES ALL ACROSS THE REGION, AND SEVERAL NOW ARE EITHER BACK OPEN OR UNDER CONSTRUCTION. SOME COMMUNITIES ARE DEALING WITH NEW ROAD DAMAGE IN THE AFTERMATH OF THE STORM. CALEB PURDY REPORTS. IN THE MONTHS SINCE HELENE STRUCK, THIS HAS BECOME A COMMON SCENE. HUGE TRUCKS AND HEAVY EQUIPMENT ON SMALL, RURAL ROADS. THEY HAVE MUTILATED OUR ROADS IN UNICOI COUNTY, AND THERE’S POTHOLES EVERYWHERE. WITH THE HEAVY TRAFFIC ON THE INTERSTATES, YOU KNOW, AND WE’VE HAD THE FREEZING TEMPERATURES AND THE WET TEMPERATURES AND AND THEN GETTING OFF THE ROAD AND BACK ON THE ROAD. UNICOI COUNTY ROAD SUPERINTENDENT TERRY HAYNES TELLS ME AN INFLUX OF TRUCKS IS CAUSING A CONSTANT STREAM OF POTHOLES. YOU’RE PROBABLY LOOKING AT PROBABLY A COUPLE OF THOUSAND DOLLARS ON A ROAD JUST TO DO THE POTHOLES. AFTER HELENE STRUCK MANY OF THE MAJOR ROADS AND IMPACTED COMMUNITIES WERE DESTROYED. THAT’S DIVERTED TRAFFIC IN MANY CASES TO JUST A HANDFUL OF SMALL RURAL ROADS NOT DESIGNED TO HANDLE IT, PLUS MORE TRAFFIC THAN USUAL AS CREWS WORK TO REMOVE DEBRIS FROM WATERWAYS TO REBUILD BUSINESSES, AND TO REBUILD RAILROADS. THE POTHOLES ARE ALSO CAUSING DAMAGE FOR PEOPLE DRIVING ON THE ROADS EVERY DAY. IF YOU LEAVE THEM HERE TO GO TO JOHNSON CITY, YOU CAN SEE DEBRIS OF VEHICLES ALL ALONG THE INTERSTATE. WHEN IT’S BECAUSE OF THE POTHOLES. THE GOOD NEWS, HAYNES SAYS, IS STATE OFFICIALS ALREADY PLAN TO TAKE CARE OF DAMAGE CAUSED BY DEBRIS REMOVAL CREWS AND RAILROAD COMPANY CSX HAS HIRED A COMPANY TO PATCH POTHOLES CAUSED BY ITS TRUCKS. THERE IS A PROGRAM, AND IT IS IN THE MAKINGS TO. WHEN ALL OF THIS IS OVER WITH, TO TRY TO GET THE ROADS BACK UP TO WHERE THEY WERE AT, OR BETTER. THE GREENVILLE DRIVE IN ASHEVILLE TOURISTS ARE TEAMING UP TO SUPPORT THOSE IMPACTED BY HURRICANE HELENE. THE VILLE DE VILLE SERIES WILL BE PLAYED ALL THROUGHOUT THE 2025 SEASON, AND DURING SELECT GAMES, TEAMS WILL WEAR COMMEMORATIVE RIVALRY JERSEYS. THOSE WILL LATER BE AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE THROUGH THE MLB AUCTION SITE, WITH ALL PROCEEDS GOING TOWARD WESTERN CAROLINA. HURRICANE RELIEF. THE COMMEMORATIVE SERIES WILL ALSO FEATURE A TROPHY TO BE HELD AT THE BALLPARK OF THE WINNING ORGANIZATION INTO THE NEXT SEASON. WELL, NOW TURNING TO SPORTS COLLEGE BASKETBALL STAR JUJU WATKINS SEASON IS OVER. SHE WAS CARRIED OFF THE FLOOR IN THE FIRST QUARTER OF THE TROJANS GAME AGAINST MISSISSIPPI STATE AND THE WOMEN’S NCAA TOURNAMENT. SHE GRABBED HER RIGHT KNEE WITH A PAINED EXPRESSION ON HER FACE. SEEN HERE. WE’RE TOLD THAT SHE’LL UNDERGO SURGERY AND THEN REHABILITATION. THE TROJANS WON 96 TO 59. THE UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA IS ONE OF FOUR NUMBER ONE SEEDS IN THE TOURNAMENT, ALONG WITH UCLA, TEXAS AND THE UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA. AND SPEAKING OF THE GAMECOCKS, THEIR OWN, DAWN STALEY IS ONE OF FOUR FINALISTS FOR A MAJOR AWARD. SHE’S UP FOR THE 2025 NAISMITH WOMEN’S COLLEGE COACH OF THE YEAR, AND THIS IS THE EIGHTH TIME IN HER CAREER THAT SHE HAS BEEN A FINALIST. STALEY IS ONLY THE FOUR TIME WINNER IN THE AWARD’S HISTORY FOR MEN’S OR WOMEN’S BASKETBALL, AND S