May 18, 2013
Forestry chief: Debris burn started SC wildfire
MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (AP) - South Carolina's forest fire chief says a blaze set by a person burning yard debris caused the raging wildfire that has destroyed 70 homes near Myrtle Beach.
Forestry Commission Forest Protection Chief Darryl Jones said Friday the fire was set last weekend some 10 miles from where homes have been demolished. He says flames rekindled into the wildfire
that started raging through scrub and woods Wednesday.
In all, more than 31 square miles have been scorched. Nobody has been injured.
State officials a day earlier said they had fined one person for burning debris, but said they were unsure whether it was the cause.
Jones says investigators are now certain after backtracking along the path of the fire to the person's yard in Conway.
MORE...
Wildfire may accelerate after overnight calm
MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (AP) - Officials fear that South Carolina's worst wildfire in at least three decades will intensify after an
overnight lull.
The calm conditions that helped firefighters get a handle on the Myrtle Beach blaze aren't expected to continue. Forecasters say the winds could pick up to about 15 miles per hour this afternoon, with
higher gusts. That could feed hotspots and push the fire northward.
A spokeswoman for the state Forestry Commission says the blaze was about 50 percent contained early today, but that could change with the weather.
The fire has consumed 31 square miles, destroyed about 70 homes and damaged 100 others in the past three days. No injuries have been reported.
It's burning on the other side of the Intracoastal Waterway from the main Myrtle Beach tourist area.
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