The "Green Gasoline" Threat: How Kudzu is Fueling Southern Wildfires

photo by Don Dicey

A recent report by Jaylan Sims in Inside Climate News reveals a terrifying new dimension to "the vine that ate the South." While kudzu has long been known for smothering native forests, it is now being identified as a volatile "ladder fuel" that can turn a ground fire into a catastrophic canopy blaze in seconds.

The dedicated volunteers of our local Kudzu Warriors work tirelessly to reclaim our native landscape, but Sims notes that their mission has taken on a new sense of priority:

"Reclaiming the landscape is only one of the kudzu volunteers’ motives. There’s an urgency to this work for another reason: the plant’s extreme wildfire risk."

The danger is not theoretical; it is already hitting home. Across Polk County, kudzu has repeatedly acted as an accelerant. In March 2025, a 600-acre fire in Tryon – sparked by a downed power line – was fueled by dense patches of the vine.

Don Dicey, a Kudzu Warrior volunteer, witnessed this firsthand during fires in the Pacolet River watershed. He recalled the shock of out-of-state responders who had never seen anything like it:

"He said visiting fire crews from Indiana told him that whenever flames touched a vine, 'it went up like somebody just poured gasoline on it. That’s how combustible they are, how dry.'”

Perhaps the most dangerous misconception is that fire might help eradicate the invasive species. Don warns that the opposite is true: fire does NOT kill kudzu. Because the plant’s massive root system sits deep underground, it survives the flames and often grows back even faster, thriving on the nutrients left in the ash.

The work of groups like Conserving Carolina and the Kudzu Warriors is no longer just about gardening – it is about community defense.

Read the full investigation: Inside Climate News: The Voracious Vine That ‘Ate the South’ Can Also Fuel Wildfires