By ERIK VERDUZCO Associated Press
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.
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.