Smoke from Wildfires Causing Air Quality Issues Across the Catawba Valley

MORGANTON, NC – A thick haze lingered over parts of the Catawba Valley Monday night.
The smell of smoke is unmistakable and unbearable at times for some.

Just 10 miles south of Morganton, a wildfire continues to rage on Chestnut Knob at South Mountains State Park.

118 firefighters are battling a blaze that’s reached over 3000 acres. It’s now 20 percent contained.
But people living in towns nearby say the smoke has only gotten worse.

“There’s a whole ridge that goes all the way through there. Well, everything else gets trapped in the inside. And it’s all coming through the valley basically,” says Salem, NC resident Chris Penley.

Just 60 miles west though, firefighters are working an even bigger fire at Party Rock in Henderson County.

That’s where mandatory evacuations remain in place.

That fire has reached close to 3500 acres and is continuing to move downhill towards the Village of Chimney Rock.