Hundreds of people were forced to leave their homes on Sunday, after wildfires spread across the Carolinas and Virginia. Authorities reported no victims so far, but officials raised a red flag in all the affected areas and temporarily closed down some of the highways.

Apparently the blazes damaged some houses near the South Carolina coast, and around 11,000 residents evacuated their houses northwest of Myrtle Beach on Sunday afternoon. Strong winds also spread the fire across Virginia, where the authorities decided to temporarily cut off the electricity, so as to avoid unwanted accidents.

Authorities expressed their concern that if the strong winds are to continue, the fires will be impossible to contain. Over 100 forest fires were reported on Sunday, officials confirmed, while Virginia Governor Timothy M. Kaine declared a state of emergency and sent in the National Guard to help with the wildfires.

Winds over 30 mph gave firefighters in South Carolina a lot of trouble, spreading the fire over parts of a highway. Luckily, a fire in South Carolina was finally contained after burning over 200 acres of forest, authorities reported.

Some of the highways have been closed due to uncontainable fires and zero visibility on some portions, caused by heavy smoke, forcing the police to redirect the traffic. The dry conditions and the dry winds create favorable conditions for the winds to spread across al three states.

Evacuation centers were set up everywhere, whether in churches or in schools, after the state of emergency was declared and people were asked to evacuate their homes for their own safety, as the wildfires continued to spread.

Numerous trees were completely burned or downed, obstructing traffic or damaging electricity lines, and over 75,000 people in Virginia remained without electric power. Authorities are working on putting out the fires.