Rutherford County, NC Emergency Management

🚧Please see information below concerning a street closure in the Town of Spindale, NC.🚧

🚧Please see information below concerning a street closure in the Town of Spindale, NC.🚧

⚠️🚧 NCDOT representatives advise us that the bridge on Old Ballpark Road in the Town of Spindale, NC will be closing for replacement beginning next week. The detour route is attached. Per NCDOT, the new bridge is anticipated to be complete by September 19, 2025. You will need to take alternate routes if you are traveling in this area.

**MEDIA RELEASE – CAMP BUD SCHIELE DROWNING INCIDENT – 6/9/2024**

Emergency Management personnel are currently working on the severe weather siren system throughout Rutherford County. Testing will be on-going through noon today (5/10/2024).

Tornado Warning including Black Mountain NC, Old Fort NC and North East Rutherford County until 1:00 AM EDT.

Just a reminder to stay weather aware during the evening hours today (5/8/2024).

🚨Click the link below to sign up for our free weather notification service - Alert Rutherford.🚨
https://member.everbridge.net/892807736729049/new

Isolated severe storms are expected this PM. Large hail will be the main threat. Damaging winds and perhaps a brief tornado are also possible. A complex of strong-to-severe storms is then expected to move across the area tonight, posing an elevated risk of damaging winds.

What are those Helicopters in Morse Park?...NCHART Emergency Training - 4/24/24 & 4/25/24 The Lake Lure Fire and Rescue Department, Chimney Rock State Park Staff, and the NC Emergency Management Team will be working with the North Carolina Helicopter Aquatic Rescue Team (NCHART) on Wednesday, April 24, 2024 and Thursday, April 25, 2024. Please be advised that there will be helicopters la...

⛈️Just a reminder to stay weather aware during the late evening hours tonight (4/2) & early morning hours tomorrow (4/3).⛈️

🚨Click the link below to sign up for our free weather notification service - Alert Rutherford.🚨
https://member.everbridge.net/892807736729049/new

🚧🚧 ROAD CLOSURE - US HWY 64/74A - LAKE LURE 🚧 🚧

Traffic Advisory - Monday, 3/18/24 - 3/25/24

The NC Department of Transportation (NCDOT) has advised that they will be closing Highway 64/74A near the Lake Lure Fire Department and the Lake Lure Parks & Recreation Building beginning Monday, March 18th, 2024 and lasting approximately one week. The purpose for the road closure is for a culvert repair.

The road will be completely closed in this area. NCDOT will have detour signage directing motorist onto Island Creek Rd. to NC-9 Hwy. Additional updates to follow.

🚨🚨ROAD RE-OPENED🚨🚨

US-74 westbound from Ellenboro Henrietta Rd. to Old Caroleen Rd. has been re-opened for all traffic.

**MEDIA RELEASE – TRACTOR TRAILER WRECK US-74 HWY – 3/15/2024**

On 3/15/2024 the Rutherford County 911 Communications Center received multiple calls beginning at 05:17am stating that a transfer truck had ran off the roadway on US-74 Hwy – westbound near the Old Caroleen Rd. exit. Sandy Mush Fire Department units arrived on-scene and confirmed that a transfer truck had driven down the embankment and came to rest in the Second Broad River. The Rutherford County Emergency Management Response Team – Swift-water unit was requested to the scene to assist with removing the driver from the transfer truck. The driver was safely removed from the wreckage and transferred into the care of Rutherford County EMS. The patient was transported to Atrium Health Cleveland with non-life-threatening injuries. Crews with the Rutherford County Emergency Management Response Team – Hazardous Materials unit placed booms across the river to catch any fuel that may have leaked from the wreckage. It was later discovered that an estimated 50-75 gallons of diesel fuel was released into the Second Broad River. Additionally, it was discovered that the truck had been hauling multiple pallets of fertilizer, 4.5 tons of fertilizer was released into the river as a result of the crash. State partners from North Carolina Emergency Management, North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality – Division of Water Resources, North Carolina Wildlife & the Foothills Health District were notified of the hazardous materials release. US-74 Hwy. westbound passed Exit 187 currently remains closed as a result of the crash. Foothills Spill Response Team is currently on-scene conducting environmental remediation efforts.

Agencies involved: Sandy Mush Volunteer Fire Department, Rutherford County 911 Communications Center, Rutherford County EMS, Rutherford County, NC Emergency Management (Hazardous Materials & Swift-water Rescue teams), North Carolina State Highway Patrol, North Carolina Department of Transportation, Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office, N.C.

🚨🚨ROAD CLOSURE:🚨🚨

US 74 westbound will be closed at Ellenboro Henrietta Rd. (Exit 187) until further notice due to a wreck. NCDOT partners are working to setup detour signage through the Ellenboro area to Business 74. Additional updates to follow.

Traffic Advisory - Detour 64/74A - Wednesday, 2/7/24 - 2/9/24:
The NC Department of Transportation (NC DOT) has advised that they will be closing Highway 64/74A near the Lake Lure Fire Station and the Parks, Recreation, and Lake Building on Wednesday, 2/7/24.
* The purpose of the road closure is for a culvert repair.
* Repairs are estimated to take two days.
* The road will be closed completely in this area and all motorists must take the detour around the closure.
* Drivers may take the detour on Island Creek Road to Highway 9.
* NC DOT will post detour signs for the public.
Thank you for your patience as these repairs are completed.

Traffic Advisory - Detour 64/74A - Wednesday, 2/7/24 - 2/9/24 The NC Department of Transportation (NC DOT) has advised that they will be closing Highway 64/74A near the Lake Lure Fire Station and the Parks, Recreation, and Lake Building on Wednesday, 2//7/24.

⚠️🛑 Please proceed with caution if you are traveling on Bostic Sunshine Highway near the Washburn General Store today. Representatives with NCDOT advise that they are installing additional stop signs to create an all-way stop at this intersection. Per the representatives with NCDOT, they have been researching this location based on a request from the NC State Highway Patrol regarding a high volume of vehicular crashes they were responding to. After reviewing the location, they determined that an all way stop should be an effective countermeasure, given the historic property and configuration of the intersection.

They advise that an all-way stop is a proven counter measure, and they are installing it with additional in-road markings. They further advise that since this area around the Washburn General Store is a designated historic district, rumble strips and/or signal lights are not permitted. A round-a-bout was considered but removed from consideration due to the lack of available space at the intersection to accommodate a round-a-bout.

PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT: It has been brought to our attention that Hwy. 64/74 is temporarily closed from west of Green Hill to Lake Lure possibly until Friday. You will need to find alternative routes if traveling to or from the Lake Lure and Chimney Rock areas this week.

Emergency Management personnel are currently working on the severe weather siren system throughout Rutherford County. Testing will be on-going through noon today (1/11/2024).

🚧 ROAD & BRIDGE CLOSURE - US HWY 74 BUSINESS 🚧

As a result of the heavy rains & flooding yesterday, footings & pylons supporting the bridge on US Hwy. 74 Business crossing the Second Broad River have been damaged. NCDOT closed the bridge this afternoon at 4:00pm (1/10/2024) to begin repairs and have no estimated time for the repairs to be completed. Road closures have been put in place at the intersections of East Main St./Riverside Dr. & US Hwy. 74 Business/Bostic Sunshine Highway.

🚨State of Emergency has been declared for Rutherford County effective 1/9/2024 @11:59am 🚨

🚨Severe weather sirens across Rutherford County have been activated for a flash flood warning issued by the US National Weather Service Greenville-Spartanburg SC. 🚨

https://forecast.weather.gov/showsigwx.php?warnzone=NCZ508&warncounty=NCC161&firewxzone=NCZ508&local_place1=Forest%20City%20NC&product1=Flash+Flood+Warning&lat=35.3284&lon=-81.8657

⛈️🛟 Just a reminder to stay weather aware today. Possible threats for our County include high winds, excessive rainfall, potential for flash flooding & thunderstorms through the afternoon. 🛟⛈️

🚨Click the link below to sign up for our free weather notification service - Alert Rutherford.🚨
https://member.everbridge.net/892807736729049/new

⚠️Wintry mix expected Friday night into Saturday morning across the mountains and NC foothills/Piedmont
🧊Freezing rain and accumulating ice will be the main concern with the highest totals expected in the NC foothills
❄️Light snow possible across the mountains
🌧️Precipitation transitions to rain by late morning

**MEDIA RELEASE – TRELLEBORG PLANT FIRE – 12/15/2023**

On 12/15/2023 the Rutherford County 911 center received a call @ 13:05 stating that there was a fire/explosion at the Trelleborg plant at 715 Railroad Ave. Rutherfordton Fire & Rescue Engine 2610 arrived on scene at 13:11hrs and advised heavy fire showing. Fire command quickly identified the chemicals involved as Methyl Ethyl Ketone and a Toluene Solution. Emergency personnel initiated a ½ mile evacuation zone. Fire was under control at 13:30. The evacuation zone was reduced to 1,000 ft and the Hazmat unit attached to Rutherford County Emergency Management’s Emergency Response Team worked with the company to contain the leak. At this time, the leak and runoff are 100% contained and evacuation has been lifted. Trelleborg has a Hazmat clean-up crew enroute to begin the remediation process. Total agencies involved: 13 including Fire, EMS, law & traffic control.

**ALL EVACUATIONS HAVE BEEN LIFTED**

OPEN BURN BAN LIFTED - AS OF 11/22/2023 @5:00PM

Effective at 5:00pm, Wednesday, Nov. 22, the N.C. Forest Service has lifted a ban on all open burning outside of the 100-foot area around an occupied dwelling for the following counties in North Carolina: Alexander, Alleghany, Ashe, Avery, Buncombe, Burke, Caldwell, Catawba, Cherokee, Clay, Cleveland, Gaston, Graham, Haywood, Henderson, Iredell, Jackson, Lincoln, Macon, Madison, McDowell, Mecklenburg, Mitchell, Polk, Rutherford, Swain, Transylvania, Watauga, Wilkes and Yancey.

“While recent rainfall has decreased fire danger and provided some relief from persistent dry conditions, I can’t stress enough how important it is for the public to be careful, ready and responsible when burning outdoors,” said Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler. “Almost all wildfires in this state are human-caused, which means most wildfires in this state are preventable. Do your part. Check for restrictions before burning. Get a valid permit. Check the weather, and never leave any outdoor fire unattended.”

For additional information please visit the link below:
https://www.ncforestservice.gov/news_pubs/newsdesk_2023.htm

BURNING BAN IN EFFECT BEGINNING AT 5PM - 11/5/2023

Due to increased fire risk, the N.C. Forest Service has issued a ban on all open burning and has canceled all burning permits for Burke, Cherokee, Clay, Cleveland, Gaston, Graham, Henderson, Jackson, Macon, McDowell, Polk, Rutherford, Swain and Transylvania counties effective 5 p.m., Sunday, Nov. 5, until further notice.

For additional information please visit the link below:
https://www.ncforestservice.gov/news_pubs/newsdesk_2023.htm