Matthew Rogers had just made his final mortgage payment on the cabin he bought 30 years ago in Flat Rock when a wildfire tore through the property, turning a lifetime of memories into ashes.
“Everything is gone... it’s just so hard to see it,” Rogers said. “I still do a little bit of crying every day.”
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His home, known affectionately as the "Cabin of Hope," was one of nearly a dozen lost this spring in a wave of wildfires across western North Carolina.
The flames didn’t just destroy homes, they exposed what fire officials are calling a dangerous pattern fueled by climate change and made worse by a lack of resources.
More than 2,000 acres are currently burning in McDowell County in the Bee Rock Creek Fire, which was 50 percent contained as of Tuesday morning, according to the North Carolina Forest Service.
Officials say the worst may still be ahead.
Fuel left behind
Hurricane Helene tore through western North Carolina last fall, toppling an estimated 822,000 acres of timber and washing debris into river valleys and steep mountain slopes. That storm is still fueling this fire season.
Incident Commander Brian Rodgers said the massive volume of downed trees is both a fire hazard and a logistical challenge.
“A lot of the trees that were blown down aren't even dry enough to burn yet,” Rodgers said. “Once that stuff starts to dry out, it’s going to contribute to fire intensity and extreme behavior in the years to come."
Crews working on recent fires had to cut through storm debris and rebuild road access around landslides to reach the flames. That delay gave the fire time to spread.
Firefighters stretched thin
While the amount of fuel increases, the state’s wildfire workforce is shrinking.
103 positions are currently vacant in the NC Forest Service. Six counties, including McDowell, have no full-time firefighting staff. Another 14 counties are operating with only one or two employees.
“You have to rob Peter to pay Paul,” said Philip Jackson, a spokesperson for the NC Forest Service. “Folks may have to drive an hour, hour and a half to get to another county just to start the initial attack. It’s not sustainable.”
36-hour shifts have become standard, particularly at the start of fires before out-of-state resources arrive. Jackson said a majority of the current staff has less than 10 years of experience as many experienced employees have retired or left for higher-paying jobs elsewhere.
The agency’s ability to conduct prescribed burns, assist private landowners, and prepare landscapes for future fire seasons has also been affected.
“This is going to be the new norm for the foreseeable future,” Jackson said.
Preparing for what is ahead
Matthew Rogers, who also lost access to his home last fall when Helene washed out a nearby bridge, said these back-to-back disasters should serve as a warning.
“It’s science, and it’s real, and it’s scary,” he said. “Why would we take away people that are going to help prevent disasters where people could lose their lives?”
Despite the loss of his home, Rogers has found comfort in his community. A stack of handwritten cards from the local Boys and Girls sits behind the counter of his Hendersonville sandwich shop to give him comfort.
“This one says, ‘Thank you for all the nice things you’ve done. Never, ever give up,’” Rogers read aloud. “It reminds you of what’s important.”