Gov. Stein speaks out as wildfires continue in Polk County (2025)

MUCH TO EXPECT AS WELL. COMING UP. ALL RIGHT, DYLAN, THANK YOU. CREWS ARE WORKING TO CONTAIN MULTIPLE WILDFIRES ACROSS NORTH CAROLINA. THE LATEST IS IN STOKES COUNTY, NEAR THE ROCKINGHAM COUNTY LINE. NOW, HERE’S A LOOK AT THE SCENE ALONG GOINS AND BENNETT ROADS. OFFICIALS CONFIRM RESIDENTS BETWEEN SANDY RIDGE AND STONEVILLE WERE EVACUATED YESTERDAY. FIREFIGHTERS FROM MULTIPLE COUNTIES AND THE NORTH CAROLINA FOREST SERVICE ARE WORKING ON CONTAINMENT OF THE FIRES. WE SPOKE WITH THE FIRE CHIEF OF NORTHEAST FIRE AND RESCUE FOR AN UPDATE ON THE ONGOING EFFORTS. THE INITIAL CALL WAS RECEIVED AT 2:35 P.M. CURRENTLY, APPROXIMATELY 200 ACRES HAVE BURNED SO FAR. WE DO EXPECT THAT NUMBER TO INCREASE THROUGHOUT THE EVENING AS FORESTRY SERVICE CONDUCTS BACK BURNS AND STRENGTHENS THOSE LINES. CURRENTLY, IT’S ABOUT 90% CONTAINED, AND WE ALSO ANTICIPATE THAT NUMBER TO INCREASE AS THE NIGHT GOES, AS THEY CONTINUE TO STRENGTHEN DOZER LINES AND AND MAKE THEM A LITTLE, A LITTLE STRONGER. NOW, WILKES AND POLK COUNTY CREWS ARE ALSO BATTLING MULTIPLE WILDFIRES. AT LAST CHECK, THE WILKES COUNTY WILDFIRE HAS SCORCHED 250 ACRES AND IS JUST 50% CONTAINED. MEANWHILE, THREE POLK COUNTY WILDFIRES REMAIN AT 0% CONTAINMENT. OFFICIALS ARE ASKING YOU TO GIVE CREWS SPACE TO WORK. NOW, REMEMBER, THE NATIONAL FOREST SERVICE HAS ISSUED A BURN BAN THAT’S CURRENTLY IN EFFECT FOR OUR STATE UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE. IF YOU SCAN THIS QR CODE ON YOUR SCREEN, IT WILL TAKE YOU TO OUR WEBSITE WHERE YOU CAN LEARN MORE ABOUT THE BURN BAN AND HOW YOU CAN PROTECT YOUR HOME AGAINST THE RISK OF WILDFIRES. A NEW LAWSUIT HAS BEEN FILED AGAINST THE OWNERS OF A WILDERNESS THERAPY PROGRAM IN WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA. AND THE LAWSUIT. A WOMAN SAYS SHE WAS SEXUALLY ABUSED AT TRAIL’S CAROLINA WHEN SHE WAS 12. SHE CLAIMS THE CAMP REQUIRED A MALE STAFF MEMBER TO SLEEP NEXT TO HER AND SUPERVISE HER WHILE SHE USED THE RESTROOM AS PUNISHMENT FOR TRYING TO ESCAPE. SHE ALSO CLAIMS THE STAFF MEMBER SEXUALLY ASSAULTED HER MULTIPLE TIMES, BUT THE CAMP KEPT IT A SECRET. SHE SAYS THE CAMP CONTINUED TO KEEP HER UNDER HIS CARE EVEN AFTER SHE REPORTED IT. ALMOST SIX MONTHS AGO. HELENE COMPLETELY DESTROYED PORTIONS OF THE VIRGINIA CREEPER TRAIL IN DAMASCUS. TOWN LEADERS ARE IN THE PROCESS OF DISCUSSING RECOVERY EFFORTS TO GET THE TRAIL BACK ON TRACK. NATALIE HILLEN HAS MORE ON THAT ROAD TO RECOVERY. U.S. SENATOR TIM KAINE AND AGENCIES INCLUDING VDOT AND THE U.S. FOREST SERVICE, ALONG WITH DAMASCUS TOWN LEADERS GATHERING. THE PURPOSE WAS TO GET AN UPDATE ON ROUTE 58 AND THE CREEPER TRAIL. SENATOR TIM KAINE WAS LAST IN DAMASCUS IN OCTOBER, RIGHT AFTER THE HELENE. I TOURED THROUGH DOWNTOWN. AND IT WAS IT WAS A STUNNER. I MEAN, SEEING THE EXTENT OF DAMAGE. AND NOW HE IS BACK, NEARLY SIX MONTHS AFTER HELENE HIT OUR REGION TO SEE THE RECOVERY EFFORTS IN ACTION. WHAT I SAW TODAY WAS DRAMATIC IMPROVEMENT IN THE DOWNTOWN AREA, DRAMATIC WORK TO CLEAR DEBRIS. AND THEN I SAW TODAY WHAT I HADN’T SEEN BEFORE BECAUSE I COULDN’T GET UP THERE BEFORE, WHICH IS THE DAMAGE ALONG THE TRAIL. UP, UP ROUTE 58 ALOG THE CREEPER. BUT HOW MUCH WORK HAS BEEN DONE? KAINE’S MISSION FOR FRIDAY. MAKING SURE THE DOLLARS ARE FLOWING. THAT WAS THE MAIN QUESTION I HAD WHEN I CAME TODAY. ARE THEY FLOWING OR DO I NEED TO DO MORE TO HELP THEM? WE HEARD GOOD NEWS TODAY FROM THE FOREST SERVICE AND THE STATE THAT THE DOLLARS ARE THERE AND AVAILABLE, AND AS THEY ARE DOING WORK, THEY’RE PULLING THE DOLLARS DOWN WITH THIS COMMUNITY RELYING ON THE TRAIL AND THE TOURISM DOLLARS IT BRINGS IN. SENATOR KAINE GOT FEDERAL APPROVAL FOR $660 MILLION IN FUNDING. THE $660 MILLION WAS FOR THE FOREST SERVICE, NOT JUST FOR THE CREEPER TRAIL, BECAUSE THEY HAVE LOTS OF THINGS, AS YOU CAN IMAGINE, TO TAKE CARE OF. BUT THE FUNDS HAVE BEEN ALLOCATED. AND SO, YOU KNOW, WE JUST NEED TO GET THEM RELEASED SO THAT WE CAN GET THIS THING REBUILT. AND WHILE THE GOAL IS TO GET THE TRAIL BACK UP AND RUNNING, THE TOWN OF DAMASCUS IS STAYING STRONG. WE’RE GOING TO BE BETTER THAN WE’VE EVER BEEN. I KNOW THAT FROM THE BOTTOM OF MY HEART. YOU KNOW, WE ARE RESILIENT PEOPLE AND WE LOVE OUR TOURISTS. CLEANUP EFFORTS CONTINUE NEARLY A WEEK AFTER DEADLY STORMS TORE ACROSS THE STATE OF MISSOURI. THAT POWERFUL SYSTEM OF STORMS IS NOW RESPONSIBLE FOR AT LEAST 36 DEATHS ACROSS MULTIPLE STATES. BOONE BASED SAMARITAN’S PURSE HAS DEPLOYED TEAMS OF VOLUNTEERS TO THE AREA TO ASSIST, TO ASSIST WITH THOSE ONGOING CLEANUP AND RECOVERY MEASURES. NOW, THIS IS JUST ONE OF SEVERAL RESPONSE EFFORTS CURRENTLY UNDERWAY. SAMARITAN’S PURSE ALSO HAS TEAMS STATIONED IN OKLAHOMA, CALIFORNIA, KENTUCKY AND WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA. A HUGE WEEKEND OF BASKETBALL CONTINUES TODAY. BOTH DUKE AND DUKE MEN’S AND WOMEN’S BASKETBALL TEAMS HAVE ADVANCED TO THE SECOND ROUND OF THE NCAA TOURNAMENT. THE MEN’S TEAM WILL GO HEAD TO HEAD WITH BAYLOR THIS AFTERNOON AT 240, WHILE THE LADY BLUE DEVILS WILL TAKE ON OREGON AT NOON. NC STATE IS ALSO AVANCING TO THE NEXT ROUND AFTER THEY DEFEATED THE VERMONT CATAMOUNTS 75 TO 55. THE WOLFPACK WILL GO ON TO TAKE ON MICHIGAN STATE TOMORROW, BUT UNFORTUNATELY, THE LADY SPARTANS SEASON HAS COME TO AN END. UNCG FELL TO USC 71 TO 25, AND WXII 12 HAS GOT YOU COVERED FOR BOTH TOURNAMENTS. JUST DOWNLOAD OUR WXII 12 NEWS APP OR HEAD TO OUR