South Carolina Wildfires: Governor Declares State of Emergency as Blazes Scorch Thousands of Acres

Image credits: Vincent Lehotsky

South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster declared a state of emergency on Sunday as wildfires in the Carolinas and Georgia scorched thousands of acres and forced people to flee their homes. The governor's office reported that more than 175 fires were burning in South Carolina, fueled by unusually dry conditions and gusty winds. Those conditions are expected to fade as a cold front pushes out the dry air mass over the Southeast U.S. and brings rain by Tuesday, the National Weather Service said. The wildfires have affected an estimated 4,200 acres across the state, including in Spartanburg, Union, Oconee, and Pickens counties, McMaster’s office said in a statement Sunday.

In Horry County, the Horry Fire had burned 1,600 acres by Sunday afternoon, according to a South Carolina Forestry Commission fire summary. It was among six major fires still burning in the state on Sunday, according to the summary. People in eight neighborhoods were forced to evacuate as several fires raged in Horry County, officials said. Soldiers with the South Carolina Army National Guard used two Blackhawk helicopters to drop water 600 gallons at a time on the blazes, the South Carolina National Guard said Sunday. The emergency declaration will allow first responders to rapidly get any resources they need to battle the blazes, McMaster said.

The Red Cross of South Carolina said there were approximately 135 Carolina Forest residents taking shelter in a county recreation center. The Carolina Forest Community Church has also become a sanctuary for firefighters taking much-needed breaks, and for some residents, NBC affiliate WMBF of Myrtle Beach reported. Around 410 personnel and at least 128 fire apparatuses were deployed to fight the fire, the commission said. No injuries have been reported so far, and no structures have been destroyed, it added. By early Sunday evening, those ordered to leave the area of the fire were allowed to return, according to a statement from Horry County Fire Rescue.

Doug Wood, spokesperson for the forestry commission, which is in command at the state’s major blazes, said the lion’s share of the estimated 175 weekend fires happened Saturday, with less than 10 new ones sparking Sunday. An elevated fire danger alert that covers South Carolina’s midsection and extends from Augusta, Georgia, to Charlotte, North Carolina, was scheduled to expire at 8 p.m. ET, according to the National Weather Service. In some regions along the South Carolina coast, the alert was set to expire at 9 p.m. The weather conditions are expected to improve by Tuesday, with rain and cooler temperatures forecasted, which should help to contain the wildfires.

Firefighters in North Carolina continued to battle blazes in all four of the state's national forests, as well as near the city of Tryon, where the 176 Fire, named for U.S. Route 176, grew to 400 acres with 0% containment by Sunday afternoon, according to Polk County, North Carolina, emergency management and fire officials. The fires in North Carolina's Croatan, Nantahala, Uwharrie, and Pisgah national forests had consumed nearly 500 acres total by Sunday, the U.S. Forest Service said in an update. The National Weather Service issued warnings for elevated fire risk across the region, citing critically dry vegetation and low humidity as key factors fuelling the blazes. The cause of the wildfires is still unknown, and officials are investigating the matter.