Mandatory evacuations were underway in Polk County, North Carolina, as firefighters battled three blazes. In South Carolina, Gov. Henry McMaster declared a state of emergency due to wildfires. And in New Jersey,

Wildfires forced a mandatory evacuation Sunday in a North Carolina county still recovering from Hurricane Helene, and South Carolina's governor declared an emergency in response to a growing wildfire in that state. Hundreds of miles north, the New Jersey Forest Fire Service was battling a blaze in the Wharton State Forest.

The latest update from the New Jersey Forest Fire Service about Wharton State Forest in Waterford shows the fire has grown to 500 acres. Ryan Hughes has the latest from the scene.