Lighter winds help crews fighting wildfires in South and North Carolina
[March 04, 2025]
By ERIK VERDUZCO
MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (AP) — Lighter winds Monday helped crews in South
Carolina and North Carolina battle wildfires that caused evacuations and
threatened hundreds of homes over the weekend.
Hundreds of firefighters from across South Carolina managed to keep a
large blaze in Horry County near Myrtle Beach from destroying any homes
despite social media videos of orange skies at night and flames
engulfing pine trees just yards away. Volunteers distributed cases of
water and food to firefighters working long hours protecting homes and
other structures.
“We’re very, very proud of our first responders,” said Rick Vines, a
plumber who was helping with the volunteer effort. "And we wanted them
to feel how proud we were by coming out here and stepping in and making
sure they had what they needed so they could focus on what they were
here to do.”
The fire burned 2.5 square miles (6.5 square kilometers) and was about
30% contained as of Monday evening, according to Horry County Fire
Rescue. The department deployed drones as well as ground crews to
respond to flare-up fires, reinforce break lines and set up portable
sprinkler systems.
It was the biggest fire in the area since a 2009 wildfire nearby did $42
million in damage and destroyed about 75 homes.
Officials in all of South Carolina banned almost all outdoor fires,
including burning yard debris and campfires. They told residents to call
911 if they see a neighbor setting a fire.
“You can and will go to jail for starting a fire outdoors in South
Carolina. Period,” Gov. Henry McMaster wrote on social media.
Burn bans were also in place in western North Carolina. Some residents
in Polk County remained evacuated from their homes as fire crews Monday
morning set their own blazes to burn possible wildfire fuel to make it
easier to contain a 480-acre (190-hectare) fire that was about 30%
contained.
Polk County is on the fringes of an area badly hit by Hurricane Helene
last year. Fallen trees that have not been cleared are increasing the
risk of fires across the region.
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U.S. Army soldiers use Blackhawk helicopters to assist the South
Carolina Forestry Commission and the South Carolina Department of
Natural Resources with wildfire containment in Horry County, S.C.,
Sunday, March 2, 2025. (Elizabeth A. Schneider/U.S. Army via AP)
In eastern North Carolina, nearly 80 mostly small wildfires were
reported in Robeson County. Emergency officials said 15 structures were
damaged, but they did not give specifics on the types of buildings.
The North Carolina Forest Service reported more than 200 wildfires
across the state Monday, although almost all of them were small and not
threatening any structures.
Officials across the Carolinas warned of poor air quality because of
smoke.
In a drier-than-normal winter, a weekend cold front moved through the
area, bringing high winds without the usual rain that accompanies the
weather systems in the South and increasing the fire danger.
The area near Myrtle Beach is one of the most dangerous for wildfires in
South Carolina as hundreds of years of decomposing vegetation creates
peat, which when it dries out can burn for a long time.
Pine trees and other waxy vegetation provide fuel for fires to rapidly
spread in dry, windy conditions.
Horry County’s population has doubled to 400,000 people over the past 25
years. Many of those newcomers have moved into neighborhoods being
rapidly built right next to the oval Carolina Bays where peat and
flammable vegetation all grows together. Fires have been part of the
natural landscape of the bays for centuries.
Officials have not said what caused any of the fires.
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