The Brief A large fire destroyed a CVS store in St. Pete Beach, then spread to Publix and other stores in the Dolphin Village shopping center. Crews from several agencies fought for hours to get the flames under control on Tuesday. Despite the extensive damage, no injuries have been reported.

Investigators are working to figure out what caused a large fire at a St. Pete Beach CVS, which later spread to Publix and other stores on Tuesday, leading to an hours-long effort to put the flames out.

Fire destroys CVS

Timeline:

Crews initially responded around 2:45 p.m. Tuesday to CVS at 4685 Gulf Blvd., in the Dolphin Village shopping center.

St. Pete Beach officials said four people were inside the store and got out safely, with heavy smoke billowing from the building as the three-alarm fire burned. It forced nearby stores to evacuate, and several neighboring agencies responded as well.

A massive three-alarm fire tore through a CVS on Gulf Boulevard in St. Pete Beach on Tuesday afternoon, forcing nearby stores to evacuate.

St. Pete Beach Communications Manager Marc Portugal said CVS’ roof partially collapsed, but crews contained the fire around six p.m.

Flames spread to Publix and beyond

Then, around 9 p.m., hot spots ignited in the building’s front facade and the fire spread, damaging several other stores, like the Publix, Swim City, Hungry Howie’s, an AT&T store and the UPS shop.

City staff said it was like a game of whack a mole, but crews contained the fire by 11:30 p.m. Despite the extensive damage, St. Pete Beach officials say no injuries have been reported.

A large fire destroyed a CVS store in St. Pete Beach, then spread to Publix and other stores in the Dolphin Village shopping center.

Nick Johnson’s family owns Swim City, which’s right next to CVS and just reopened in February after Hurricanes Helene and Milton.

“It’s been pretty, pretty devastating to see,” he said. “It’s extremely difficult for a small family business. My parents started it right before I was born, and now I’m kind of taking on more of a role with the company, and so, it’s been very challenging. We’re rolling with the punches, and we’ll get through it, but it’s just a lot to take on right now,” he said.

CVS has extensive damage, a spokesperson for CVS said. The spokesperson also said employees can transfer to nearby CVS locations, and people with immediate prescription needs can visit the downtown St. Pete location at 3501 54th Ave. South.

A Publix spokesperson said they’ve relocated employees to different locations as well. A UPS spokesperson said they’re working to redirect mail and deliveries to the UPS location at 13799 Park Blvd. North in Seminole.

People nearby react to fires

What they’re saying:

“I kind of just sat in my car waiting around a little and then all of a sudden, eight fire trucks started coming in,” Raymond Stith, who works at Jersey Mikes in the building next door to the CVS, said Wednesday.

Stith said he was on his break and was about to go into the CVS when he saw smoke.

“I was genuinely concerned that our place would burn down as well,” he said.

“It was terrifying,” Alex Sparra, who was near the scene when the fire spread, said. “I heard the alarms go off and all the people come out, and within five minutes the whole thing was ablaze.”

Frederick DeNike and his wife came to the CVS to pick up their prescriptions around 7:45 p.m. Tuesday.

“My wife went up to them and said, ‘we want to pick up the prescriptions,’” DeNike said. “She goes, ‘I’m sorry lady, but CVS is burned down,’” he said.

Image 1 of 4 ▼ Fires caused extensive damage to the Dolphin Village shopping center in St. Pete Beach.

DeNike and others said most of the stores in the plaza had recently reopened after the hurricanes.

“We’ve just been through so much, you know,” he said. “We just went through two hurricanes, which damaged a lot of these stores that had to take a long time to reopen again and now this. So, it really hurts the community. I mean, this was just not an area where the people who live here all year long shop, but all the seasonal vacationers … this is where they would come pick up their groceries,” DeNike said.

“It’s going to be a difficult time for everybody. But you know, something, St. Pete is strong and it’ll come back. It came back after the hurricanes,” DeNike said.

Several people throughout the day Wednesday came to get a look at the damage for themselves, like Jim Jarrell, who has lived in St. Pete Beach for 16 years and said he came to this Publix almost every day.

“It’s a devastating loss for us,” Jarrell said. “It was total devastation from the hurricanes. So now, to see this, people are just getting back on their feet. It’s pretty shocking.”

As for the stores that are still open at the plaza, the owners say they’re concerned about business now that the plaza’s anchors are gone for now.

“This is a major hub here for this entire community and also for beach goers and visitors from all over the world or all over country,” said. Jerry Zamudio, owner of beach Vibe Cycle Rentals, said. “This Publix is very integral to this community. So is the CVS. I mean, without this, we wouldn’t have the foot traffic or even the traffic that we get because this is where people come to eat and people who live in the surrounding area, like ourselves, come here for groceries and what not. So, this is a big loss, major, major loss,” he said.

Crews set up a fence Wednesday around the damage and officials are asking the public to avoid the area as the investigation continues.

“I feel bad for the stores and the employees. They’ve been through a lot this year. “I believe this facility was damaged by Helene and Milton , so they’ve already gone through remediation once this year and they’re going to have to go through it again,” Portugal said Wednesday morning.

Other stores at the shopping center are still open, but the stores from the CVS through the Publix are closed. It’s not known each of the businesses will reopen. Fire crews continue to monitor the scene and have been there 24/7 since the fire broke out Tuesday afternoon.

Crews from several agencies worked late into the night to get the fire under control.

Some of the damage is visible from the outside, where multiple stores’ front walls and signs crumbled to the ground.

In addition to CVS and Publix, businesses that have been impacted include the UPS Store, Hungry Howie’s Pizza, Swim City and an AT&T store – all of which recently reopened after suffering damage during the 2024 hurricanes.

Despite the extensive damage, St. Pete Beach officials say no injuries have been reported.

While much of the shopping center remains blocked off, Gulf Blvd. is back open as of Wednesday morning. Still, officials are asking the public to avoid the area as the investigation continues.

RELATED: ‘Flames shooting out’: Residents react to St. Pete Beach CVS fire, as store shuts down again

What’s next:

Officials say all businesses in the complex will remain closed on Wednesday as a precaution. It’s not known whether each of the businesses will reopen.

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The Source: This story was written with information from officials in St. Pete Beach, interviews with neighbors and previous FOX 13 News reports.

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ASHEVILLE, N.C. (FOX Carolina) – The Asheville Fire Department said it is responding to a large business fire on Monday.

Officials first reported the fire, located behind the Goodwill Industries on Patton Avenue, around 7:15 a.m.

The Asheville Police Department said Patton Avenue closed westbound beginning at Piney Park Road, near Family Dollar, and eastbound at Old Haywood Road until further notice.

MORE NEWS:

Copyright 2025 WHNS. All rights reserved.

Evacuations ordered as wildfires erupt across Carolinas

First responders in the Triangle and Sandhills stayed busy as did western NC crews where brush fires and forest fires raged Saturday.

First responders in the Triangle and Sandhills stayed busy as did western NC crews where brush fires and forest fires raged Saturday.

First responders in the Triangle and Sandhills stayed busy as did western NC crews where brush fires and forest fires raged Saturday.

First responders in the Triangle and Sandhills stayed busy as did western NC crews where brush fires and forest fires raged Saturday.

RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) — Click here for our latest coverage.

Multiple brush fires ignited across central North Carolina on Saturday, keeping fire crews busy. At least one fire-related death was reported.

First responders in Durham, Raleigh, Harnett County and Cumberland County rushed to control those flames.

Those fires come as the region continues to see an increased fire danger. A red flag warning was in effect for central North Carolina until 10 p.m.

In Durham

The 4400 block of Erwin Road between Mount Sinai Road and Cornwallis Road was forced to close after a large brush fire broke out there Saturday afternoon.

Residents said a transformer popped and caught the ground below on fire.

A brush fire closed Erwin Road between Mount Sinai Road and Cornwallis Road in Durham. ABC11/Jeremy Baker

The Durham Fire Department said Saturday evening that units responded to a tree in the road around 3:30 p.m. in the 3100 block of West Cornwallis Road. The tree had struck a power line and started a small fire.

The fire department put out the fire and blew leaves and cut the tree to keep the fire from spreading and remove it from the roadway.

The road reopened around 6 p.m. No injuries were reported.

Hundreds of customers lost power in that area, according to the Duke Energy power outage map. Power has been mostly restored.

In Raleigh

Heading into Saturday morning, Raleigh crews knew it was going to be a busy day, what with low humidity and the high winds. They knew there was a strong possibility this could happen and in the end, it did.

“And any time you get the conditions, it’s perfect for outside fires. It burns rapidly, and you had two wind-driven fires, which is hard to get ahead of,” said Battalion Chief Dennis Marshall.

A brush fire caused yard damage along a row of townhomes in southeast Raleigh.

Marshall said his crews were sent to a quick-moving fire that hit a southeast Raleigh neighborhood.

“It burned the whole backyard and most of the front yard down a whole row of townhouses today,” Marshall said.

In the Sandhills

Harnett County officials are warning residents of dangerous fire weather conditions after at least 10 brush fires and four structure fires broke out Saturday.

One major fire happened at a home south of Erwin on US Highway 401.

In Harnett County, crews battled 10 brush fires and several structure fires.

That’s right on the Cumberland and Harnett counties line.

ABC11 also learned that one person died after a fire in Coats. No other details about that fire were immediately available.

Fire experts said one simple thing to prevent fires is to dispose cigarette butts properly. Another is to avoid anything that could cause a spark around equipment.

In western NC

In western North Carolina near the towns of Tryon and Saluda, a brush fire caused by a power line that fell along US Highway 176 Saturday afternoon spread quickly up a nearby mountain and threatened several structures, Saluda Fire and Rescue said on Saturday.

As of 11:30 p.m. on Saturday, the fire had grown to 400 acres, at 0% containment, Saluda officials said. Polk County officials said multiple fire departments were deployed to respond to the fire.

Some residents near the highway were ordered to evacuate Saturday afternoon by Tryon authorities.

Saluda Fire and Rescue said there will be a heavy fire department presence in the Bear Creek, Hanging Rock, Rhododendron Dr., Oceanview Dr., and Meadow Lark Dr. areas as crews work to protect homes

Tryon and Saluda are just north of the North Carolina-South Carolina border, around 25 miles southeast of Asheville, North Carolina.

Meanwhile, two wildfires in Buncombe County remain uncontained.

One has affected about 2 acres off Pisgah View Road and another near Grooms Road has affected 50 acres. Buncombe County is under a burn ban through Wednesday.

In South Carolina, officials from the SC Forestry Commission issued a statewide burning ban Saturday while reporting dozens of wildfires across the state — many of which have since been contained. This includes a large fire near Myrtle Beach.

A red flag warning that was issued by the National Weather Service across many affected areas in the Carolinas expired at 10 p.m. Saturday, however the service issued a Fire Danger statement for Columbia and Greenville-Spartanburg areas until 8 p.m. Sunday, warning that “dry fuel and low relative humidity” could prompt dangerous fire behavior later in the weekend.

CNN’s Karina Tsui contributed to this report.

According to the National Interagency Fire Center, the Black Cove Complex is the highest-priority fire in the Southern U.S.

Currently, 303 personnel from North Carolina and other states are attempting to control the wildfire in Polk County.

On Wednesday, the National Weather Service issued a Red Flag Warning for the mountains of Polk and Henderson counties, indicating the potential for severe fire behavior and the possibility of rapid fire spread.

Firefighters continue preparing firebreaks and protecting structures in anticipation of elevated temperatures, high winds and low humidity Monday afternoon.

Wednesday March 26 11 a.m.

Swain County

A fire burning in Alarka neighborhood, just south of Bryson City, is at 1,000 acres and 0% contained, Swain County Emergency Management posted on its Facebook page around midnight Tuesday. The following areas are urged to evacuate:

– Long Creek Lane

– Unahala Creek

– Alarka Highlands

A shelter has been set up at the Alarka Community Center for those evacuated.

Gerard Albert III/BPR Thick smoke covers the areas surrounding Green River Cove Road on Saturday as the Black Cove and Deep Woods fires continue to burn.

Henderson County

On Wednesday, Henderson County officials issued a state of emergency. It’s unclear if the order has a retroactive effect but government leaders said Wednesday the emergency declaration was effective starting on March 24, at 5 p.m.

In a statement posted to the county’s Facebook page, officials said the emergency declaration was to make sure necessary resources are in place to respond to the wildfires, which started in Polk County.

“Wildfires in various sections of the county have the potential to threaten life and property. Emergency personnel are prepared to take action to evacuate county residents if necessary and support all efforts toward fire suppression,” leaders said in the announcement.

A burn ban remains in effect in Henderson County.

Tuesday March 25 9 p.m.

Transylvania County

Transylvania County Emergency Management issued mandatory evacuations for the residents in the following areas of the Big Hill Community.

Dolly Masters Road

Glady Fork Rd

Lake Honda

Happy Acres Communities

The Connestee Fire Department is going door to door in those areas to notify residents.

All who are evacuating can report to Cars Hill Church. That will be a temporary location while Transylvania County is working on opening an emergency shelter.

We will be updating evacuation orders as possible for any other affected area.

Henderson County

Henderson County Emergency Management officials issued mandatory evacuation orders for residents in the following areas of the Summer Haven community:

Macedonia Road east of Interstate 26

Skyland Acres Road

Knight Road

Summer Haven Lane

South Fine Way

Tuesday March 25 7 p.m.

NC Forest Service officials held a community meeting to discuss the wildfires.

At the meeting, fire officials said progress has been made on the two largest fires—Black Cove and Deep Woods— even though both are still categorized as 0% contained.

NC Fire Service Official Shane Hardee explained how containment works: firefighters will not declare a line contained unless they are confident that it will hold if they walked away.

He told about 300 community members gathered at Biltmore Church that the southern part of the fires is the most volatile area at the moment.

“Those are the areas that will cause us some challenges tomorrow,” he said, pointing to the southeastern parts of the large map displayed at the meeting.

He said he anticipates the winds relenting on Thursday and Friday, but he cautioned that the staff meteorologist does not expect much rain. However, the expected humidity increase should give a better opportunity to battle the fires.

Because the winds are moving from the South, it is unlikely that it will cross I-26, Hardee said, but steep, rugged terrain in the gorge could allow the fire to move under I-26.

Infrared maps created with data collected by aircraft are being used to track the movement of the fires at night, he said.

A Flat Rock resident shared that his home was lost to the fire, but he expressed gratitude to the firefighters for saving his neighbors’ homes.

“Hope was the name of the cabin, and hope is a good thing, and no good thing ever dies,” he said.

Evacuation process

Fire officials explained the evacuation stages.

People at level 1 (green) should begin making preparations to leave. At level 2 (yellow), there is a high probability of evacuation. In a level 3 (red), residents will be instructed to leave in a specific timeframe and routes will be identified.

Hardee warned that text alerts should be the primary form of communication about an evacuation, and residents should trust those immediate messages over the map which is refreshed less frequently. Firefighters will also go door-to-door to evacuate residents.

Henderson County has opened a shelter at the Parks & Recreation Athletics and Activity Center located at 708 South Grove Street, and the facility shelter permits pets.

Hardy also said the departments greatly appreciates the prior donations, but they do not need any additional contributions.

“I know how giving the people of the mountains of North Carolina are,” he said.

A federal grant through FEMA is covering the cost now, he said.

The meeting also provided officials with an opportunity to dispel some rumors about the fires.

Hardee said backburning to hold a line by the Forest Service did not cause a fire that consumed several homes.

A firefighter walked a trail near Pullman Creek and discovered that the fire had crossed the creek near Green River.

The fire was “well over a mile” from where the firefighters were using controlled burns, Hardee said. It was also not near where the Fire Service did any burning on Saturday.

They did set a fire off Big Hungry Road strategically to protect the remaining homes.

“It is very easy to assume different things that you don’t understand,” he said. “If we had messed up, I would be the first to tell you that we messed up, but we didn’t.”

One resident said their power was turned off, effectively shutting off their water because it is well that relies on electricity.

Hardee said the Fire Service did not shut the power off. Hardee said fire officials directed Duke Energy to hold off on work on the road to preserve ingress and egress. The Service does close down roads if the fires require it, he said.

For earlier coverage of the wildfires, please read this BPR story.

Editor’s note: This file reflects flooding updates from Sunday, Feb. 16.Click here for Monday flooding updates from Louisville and across Kentucky.

Several areas of Kentucky are experiencing catastrophic flooding Sunday after a storm system dumped large amounts of rain across the commonwealth, leaving drivers and homeowners stranded and many communities underwater.

Much of the commonwealth remains under flood watches or warnings Sunday morning after some areas received more than 6 inches of rain within a 48-hour period, according to the National Weather Service in Louisville.

Here’s what we know so far.

9:15 p.m.: Beshear announces 9th death

Gov. Andy Beshear announced on X that a ninth person in the commonwealth has died as a result of flooding.

“I am sad to share some more tough news tonight, Kentucky. We just confirmed another weather-related death out of Pike County, bringing our total loss to 9 people,” Beshear posted on X.

7:25 p.m.: Bullitt County Public Schools shifts to NTI Monday

Officials from Bullitt County Public Schools announced the district would shift to nontraditional instruction Monday due to floodwater impacting several areas in the county and making roadways impassable for buses.

“While snow is not an issue, floodwaters have not receded as expected, and conditions could worsen before improving,” officials said in a statement posted to Facebook Sunday evening. “The Salt River is being closely monitored and is expected to crest this evening at a level above the official flood stage, which may impact additional roadways.”

Staff will report to buildings as usual, officials said.

7:18 p.m.: City of Hazard sees historic flooding, North Carolina emergency crews arrive in KY

The city of Hazard in Perry County has seen its worst flooding in 40 years, officials confirmed Sunday.

The North Fork Kentucky River crested at 30.5 inches overnight, marking the largest flood in the city since 1984. The water level rose above the Gorman Bridge off Main Street, which crosses the North Fork Kentucky River downtown, making it impassable.

Hazard Mayor Happy Mobelini told WYMT-TV the town knew they would be flooded, but not to this extent.

“The one in 2022, it was awful but it only covered part of the county and town,” Mobelini told WYMT. “This one covers the entire county.”

The mayor said the fire and police departments have taken part in more than 100 water rescues.

In Middlesboro, Mayor Boone Bowling said mutual aid teams from other parts of the South set up a base to help dispatch crews to areas in need of assistance throughout east Kentucky. North Carolina Emergency Management said crews of 40-60 people, including the Winston Salm Search and Rescue, Asheville Search and Rescue and the Charlotte Search and Rescue team, will disperse across the commonwealth to the hardest-hit areas.

Crews from Ohio and Indiana are also expected to arrive in the commonwealth in the coming days, officials said.

In Floyd County, residents were asked to evacuate immediately in the city of Allen as floodwaters from Beaver Creek shut down roadways and inundated homes.

A photo posted to the WMDJ-FM and the Maggofin County News Network’s Facebook pages shows two Allen Fire Department members — identified as Jordan Chaffins and Isabella Harlow — walking through knee-deep water as they conducted a water rescue Sunday.

5:30 p.m.: Recovery begins in Pikeville

Waters were receding in Pikeville by Sunday evening, but plenty of work remains in the county that Gov. Andy Beshear said was probably hit hardest in Kentucky.

Pikeville Independent Schools Superintendent David Trimble and other district officials worked through Saturday night and into Sunday at Pikeville High School. The facility was briefly used as a shelter the previous night before it was also evacuated — by late Sunday afternoon, the water had receded, leaving a thick coat of mud inside the school that crews were working to clean up.

Mayor Jimmy Carter was a senior at the high school when it suffered its first flood in April 1977. It took days for the water to subside that year, and while this flood didn’t last as long, he knows the road to recovery will take some time. At least 100 human rescues in Pike County had been reported since about 3 p.m. Saturday, he said later Sunday.

Now, he said, the focus in the city is “clean up and assess the homes that were flooded, the businesses that were flooded.” Several water tanks in Pike County are currently dry after their lines were broken during the chaos, he said, though the city of Pikeville has clean water. Two deaths in the county were reported by Beshear.

The damage in the area was still evident Sunday evening. Several businesses along Highway 80, which snakes through town along the Levisa Fork, were still partially submerged.

E-Z Pay Auto, for instance, was swamped with several feet of water, with a car out front nearly completely submerged. Bobby Luster, a car shop employee, said he’d been called to the business that morning at 1 a.m. to retrieve some computers as the water rose — but by that point, he said, it was too late.

“I didn’t get home ‘til 6,” he said, as rising water blocked him at the intersection as he tried to leave. “You couldn’t go through there. I had to fight my way to get home.”

2:28 p.m.: JCPS says parent teacher conferences will go on as planned Monday

Following a storm that caused flooding throughout Louisville, Jefferson County Public Schools announced there will not be any changes to Monday’s scheduled events.Students were already scheduled to have the day off in honor of President’s Day, but teachers are expected to come into schools for parent teacher conferences.Students also do not have school Tuesday.

2:20 p.m.: River levels still on the rise in Kentucky

Forecasts from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration indicate a number of rivers around the commonwealth have not yet crested as of midday Sunday — and many parts of the state will see rising water levels going into the week.

“The rivers are still going to rise,” said Eric Gibson, director of the Kentucky Division of Emergency Management, in a Sunday briefing. “As the weather service is reporting to us, we continue to see that the levels down the Kentucky River, the Green River, still have a ways to go before they hit the crest.”

In addition to the Kentucky and Green rivers, NOAA data as of 2 p.m. Sunday indicated the Tug Fork River, along Kentucky’s border with West Virginia, and the Rolling Fork River in central Kentucky, would also see “major flood” conditions.

The designation indicates “extensive inundation of structures and roads, significant evacuations of people and/or transfer of property to higher elevations,” according to NOAA.

Some river monitoring stations have already recorded major flood conditions, including on the Tug Fork and the South Fork Kentucky River, as waters continue to rise.

The South Fork Kentucky River was recorded at 41.6 feet Sunday afternoon, and had not yet crested. The record crest for the river there is 44.3 feet.

2:12 p.m.: Kentucky officials detail emergency response efforts, storm impacts

Kentucky officials outlined the scope of the disaster and the emergency response efforts during a news conference Sunday, which have impacted thousands and fanned out across the commonwealth.

More than 39,300 power outages have been reported, about 9,800 water service connections are out and roughly 26,000 water service connections are under a boil water advisory, Beshear said.

At Kentucky State Parks, many of which are providing emergency shelter, more than 140 displaced residents are seeking shelter.

Officials said Kentucky State Police telecommunicators have received more than 1,800 calls for service, 146 Kentucky National Guard soldiers and airmen are responding to emergencies and more than 2,000 Department of Highway crew members are working to address more than 300 road closures across the Kentucky.

Beshear urged residents to reserve calling 911 for emergency and life-threatening situations given the high volume of calls and demand for service. People with immediate, non-life threatening needs should call (502) 607-6665 or complete the Rapid Needs Assessment Form online.

1:45 p.m.: Gov. Beshear confirms at least 8 deaths from widespread flooding

At least eight people have died since rain and floodwaters started sweeping across Kentucky Saturday, Gov. Andy Beshear said during a news conference Sunday.

The victims include two men from Pike County; a man, woman and child from Hart County; a woman from Washington County; and an unidentified person from Nelson County, Beshear said. Donald Keith Nicholson, 73, of Manchester, was identified by the Clay County Coroner’s Office as a flood victim Sunday morning.

“We believe this number is going to grow,” Beshear said.

More than 1,000 rescues have been carried out so far, and the “emergency response phase” is continuing.

FEMA has arrived in Kentucky and is currently working to respond where needed, Beshear said.

Beshear, along with other officials who spoke during the news conference, including Director of Kentucky Division of Emergency Management Eric Gibson and Secretary of the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet Jim Gray, said they expect the event to continue for the next few days as snow is forecast to arrive in Kentucky Tuesday night.

At least an inch of snow is estimated to fall across the commonwealth Tuesday night into Wednesday, with some areas in western and central Kentucky expected to get more than 4 inches, according to the National Weather Service.

“We’re going to be actively dealing with this flood for probably the next week,” Beshear said.

Transportation Cabinet Secretary Gray noted the extreme shifts and widespread nature of the weather Kentucky has experienced over the last two days.

“In the last 48 hours, we have seen four seasons of weather,” Gray said. “Rain, then snow. We’ve even had thunderstorms, and now we’ve got snow coming again … it’s a serious, serious event.”

12 p.m.: Louisville first responders are headed to Eastern Kentucky, Greenberg says; FEMA to arrive in KY

Some of Louisville’s first responders have been deployed to other parts of Kentucky where flooding is most disastrous, Mayor Craig Greenberg said in a video posted to social media.

“We have some folks from our emergency management services team, from Louisville Fire, from suburban fire, they’ve headed out to Eastern Kentucky, they’re helping other people out in the southern and eastern part of the state that have had extreme flooding,” Greenberg said. “We still have plenty of resources here in the city to make sure everyone stays safe.”

Greenberg also said the city’s first responders conducted 36 water rescues Saturday night in Louisville as the rain was falling. He advised residents to avoid remaining standing water, and adhere to posted warnings.

Louisville’s snow teams were also out Sunday, treating roads amid the morning’s winter weather.

Gov. Andy Beshear also announced that representatives from FEMA will arrive in Kentucky Sunday to begin support efforts, led by Federal Coordinating Officer Jeremy Slinker. He has previously served as Director of Kentucky Emergency Management and led the commonwealth through the Western Kentucky tornadoes of 2021 and the Eastern Kentucky floods of 2022, Beshear said.

11:05 a.m.: Power outages, closed roads sweep across east KY, one flood victim ID’d

Multiple areas of east Kentucky have been impacted by devastating floodwaters, leaving many communities underwater and without power Sunday. Mudslides and rising waters affected large portions of Knott County, then came large wind gusts.

By 9:30 a.m., power outages were beginning to sweep the county with 7.26% of residents in Knott County out, according to poweroutage.us, including at the local radio station WKCB 107.1 along with its sister stations WLRV, WCBJ, WLKS and WMOR.

At 9:53 a.m., the station posted on its Facebook that “power has been knocked out at our transmitter and studios so we’re off the air. Hopefully power can be restored (to) all locations soon.”

The city of Hazard in Perry County announced it was under a boil water advisory due to the pumping station and plant experiencing power outages and the power company also being flooded.

The city’s utility’s Facebook urged customers to conserve water.

“Major power outages are affecting our pumping station and plant, and the power company is experiencing flooding itself at the plant. We have not shut anything off other than the breaks we located yesterday. Our employees are facing flooding issues and several are unable to get out. We haven’t been able to assess all damage to our infrastructure yet (due) to flooded roads and slides. The flood has had a devastating impact on our community …”

A 73-year-old Manchester man also died as evacuations in Clay County began Saturday.

According to a report from The Manchester Enterprise, the man, later identified by the Clay County Coroner’s Office as Donald Keith Nicholson, was driving through floodwaters and “was unable to cross, so he exited the vehicle and was swept away by heavy current several hundred feet from his truck.”

Clay County’s swift water rescue team was also dispatched to Oneida, according to the newspaper.

Oneida Baptist Institute, a private school in Clay County, posted on its Facebook page on Sunday morning that the water at the school was higher than the 2021 flood by about 6-8 inches.

Kentucky Emergency Management requested Laurel County’s rescue squad to respond to water rescues in Leslie County.

The squad posted on social media that they deployed a swift water team, one boat and one raft to perform three rescues for about six hours in Leslie County.

London Mayor Randall Weddle also posted consistent updates on his Facebook page, updating residents about which roads were flooded, including notifying which roads he asked Public Works to close and asked people to avoid driving through water on roads.

10:30 a.m.: ‘Significant flooding’ reported in Warren County

In Warren County, on the western side of the state, there was “significant flooding” though no fatalities have been reported, according to Ronnie Ward, Bowling Green Police Department’s public information officer.

Within the city limits of Bowling Green, Ward said a few roads were flooded, though much of the concern has been in the county, with a few vehicles stuck in high water.

“We have a significant amount of water, the creeks are overflowed, the rivers are at their banks and there’s a lot of water in low spots,” he said.

Further west in Paducah, the National Weather Service is forecasting rivers to flood later into the week. The Little River was cresting Sunday morning but is forecasted to fall below flood stage, according to the service’s website, while the Green River is forecasted to have significant flooding in the small town of Calhoun.

10:25 a.m.: Pikeville in east Kentucky inundated by floodwaters

Creeks and rivers throughout Eastern Kentucky crept into neighbors yards and made roads impassable — including the Levisa Fork, a tributary of the Big Sandy River.

The water crept over the banks and flooded large portions of Northern Pikeville, in Pike County, with water surrounding Pikeville High School and reaching the 50-yard-line of the football stadium.

The school was serving as a shelter for displaced families — giving them access to food, bathrooms and showers.

At 11 p.m. Saturday, the school posted on its social media that it was evacuating and those “seeking refuge or assistance” could go to Pike County Central.

Pike Central sits about five miles northeast of Pikeville High.

Pikeville assistant principal Bradley Allen posted on Facebook that the school did take on water.

“We have spent the night trying to do all we can to preserve our buses and equipment,” Allen wrote. “We have walked throughout the first floor and although we do have water in multiple areas, I feel like things could be much worse. Everything lost is most certainly replaceable and we will get to work cleaning up as soon as possible.”

Photos uploaded by an Eastern Kentucky resident on Sunday morning showed widespread flooding about three miles along the Levisa Fork.

10:12 a.m.: ‘Multiple fatalities’ across commonwealth, Beshear says

Gov. Andy Beshear reported “hundreds of water rescues and multiple fatalities” as a result of “widespread flooding” across the commonwealth as of Sunday morning in a post on X, formerly Twitter.

More evacuations are ongoing, he said, amid hundreds of road closures.

“From mudslides in the east to snow in the west, the situation is dangerous,” Beshear wrote.

River monitoring as of 10 a.m. Sunday showed waterways in the western, central and eastern parts of the commonwealth were forecasted to see “major flooding,” the highest category in the National Water Prediction Service data.

President Donald Trump approved Beshear’s request for an emergency disaster declaration in Kentucky, the governor said, opening up federal resources for responding to the storm.

10 a.m.: Louisville officials report road closures from flooding as snow falls in city

Some roads in Louisville are closed due to flooding Sunday morning as a flood warning from the National Weather Service remains in place until 4 p.m.

The following roads in Louisville are closed according to Louisville Metro Public Works:

Entry into Cherokee Park at Willow Avenue, Lexington Road and Eastern Parkway

Park Boundary Road at Beargrass Creek

Watson Lane at Tennis Boulevard

West Orell Road at Lower River Road

Six Mile Lane at Breckenridge Lane

Fenwick Road at Fegenbush Lane

The steady rain turned into snow showers Sunday morning, prompting Public Works to send out the Metro Snow Team to salt roads along the city’s 110 snow routes. Public Works spokesperson Salvador Melendez said crews “would continue working to ensure roads are in safe driving condition.”

Louisville Metro Police said in a social media update Saturday night first responders had completed at least 30 water rescues throughout Jefferson County.

“LMPD River Patrol and Dive Team Swift Water Technicians have been responding and assisting area fire departments on water rescues throughout the city during the significant rain event,” the statement read.

With snow showers following the steady rains, LMPD said drivers involved in non-injury collisions would need to use the online reporting forms from the Kentucky State Police until further notice, unless a vehicle is blocking a roadway. If a roadway is blocked from a collision, drivers can call LMPD’s non-emergency dispatch at 502-574-7111.

Snow showers are also impacting bus routes Sunday morning, with the Transit Authority of River City stating it is operating with winter weather detours.