Myrtle Beach Wildfire

The Myrtle Beach wildfire started yesterday morning. I believe it started sometime around 10:oo. I got a text message stating a fire had started off of Highway 90 in Conway. The fire continued to burn through the afternoon. I received another text from our local news channel that a fire was spotted off of Highway 31. At that time, I thought two fires were burning. I learned this morning that, in fact, it was one fire. Hwy. 90 and Hwy. 31 do run almost parallel to one another with a lot of acreage between the two. Last night, the fire was moving north and getting close to Highway 22.

Around 1:00 this morning, officials were watching the fire and the firefighters progress from the Water Tower Road bridge. The fire jumped Hwy. 22 and started burning near homes in Barefoot Resort. The men on Water Tower Road quickly jumped in their cars and drove to Barefoot Resort. They started knocking on doors and getting residents to evacuate. Because some homes at Barefoot Resort are used as 2nd homes, they took extra time to make sure all the homes were evacuated.

The fire continued through the night and into Thursday. The latest report I heard stated that 100 homes were damaged and 69 were destroyed. About 15,000 acres of land have been burned.

The winds did shift a bit this afternoon and residents of Carolina Forest communities were told they could voluntarily evacuate. I talked to several friends in that area. Most are staying at their homes for now, but they have packed bags to be prepared if something should change.

Many roads in the area are closed. If you are traveling to the area or already in the area, check local news for details on the latest closing. Carolina Forest area and North Myrtle Beach area schools are also closed on Friday. You can check The Sun News, WMBF (TV Channel 10) or WBTW (TV Channel 13)for the latest details.

Many other communities have sent their equipment and personnel to help fight the fires. The National Guard have been called in to help, and Governor Sanford declared a state of emergency. Four Blackhawk helicopters have been called in from NC to drop water on the fire. Shelters have been set up across the county for both people and their animals that have been affected by the fires. Several local hotels are providing rooms for free for residents displaced by the fire. Thank you everyone helping with this very difficult situation.





This morning, I had an appointment on the north end of Myrtle Beach. While I was still far away from the center of the fire, the smoke could be seen. I took these pictures around 82nd Avenue North near the Grand Strand Hospital. The smoke is actually on the west side of the Waterway, but it looks much closer. The last couple of pictures were taken from 38th Avenue North.