Wildfires break out in Appalachia amid deepening drought

ATLANTA (AP) — Unseasonably warm dry weather has deepened a drought that's igniting forest fires across the southeastern U.S., forcing people to flee homes in the Appalachian Mountains and blanketing Atlanta in a smoky haze.

Bans on outdoor burning were in effect across the drought zone, and in Alabama, authorities extended that ban throughout the state, where drought is choking 80 percent of the land, drying up streams and lakes and killing plants.

In mountainous western North Carolina, people living on five roads near one roaring blaze were advised to leave their homes, and residents of 38 more homes in another part of the state were told to evacuate ahead of a separate wildfire.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency announced federal funds to reimburse some of the firefighting costs in response to a request from Tennessee.