South Carolina Governor Declares State of Emergency in Response to Wildfires

South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster (R) declared a State of Emergency in response to more than 100 wildfires breaking out in the state that had impacted 4,200 acres.
In a press release, McMaster explained that there were “ongoing response operations to more than 175 wildfires” that had broken out. McMaster noted that due to the “dangerous wildfire conditions,” a statewide ban on burning would “remain in effect until furth notice.”
“This State of Emergency ensures that our first responders, who are working tirelessly and risking their lives to protect our communities from these wildfires, have the resources they need,” McMaster said in a statement. “Dangerous wildfire conditions require that a statewide burning ban remain in effect until further notice. Those who violate this ban will be subject to criminal prosecution.”
The largest brush fire in the state, which “remained uncontained at 1,200 acres” as of Sunday afternoon, was reported to have erupted in “a community west of Myrtle Beach,” USA Today reported. As result, residents in several neighborhoods were forced to leave their homes.
Residents in the communities of Saluda and Tryon, in North Carolina, were also faced with a fire, which the Saluda Fire & Rescue Department said had reportedly been started “by a downed power line.”
In a Facebook post from the Polk County Emergency Management/Fire Marshal, it was revealed that the Melrose Fire was “still approximately 400 acres with 0% containment.”
“The NC Forest Service is conducting air drop and back-burning operations,” Polk County Emergency Management wrote in the post. “Expect a lot of smoke while back burning operations are being conducted. Fire departments are in place to provide structural protection during and after this process. As of right now, evacuations are still voluntary for those in the affected areas of this fire.”
As South Carolina and North Carolina are facing wildfires, the National Weather Service Columbia South Carolina warned in a Facebook post that “the combination of dry fuels & low humidity continues concerns for dangerous fire behavior today.”
“The South Carolina Forest Commission has issued a statewide burn ban which prohibits all outdoor burning, including yard debris burning, prescribed burning and campfires in all unincorporated areas of the state. The ban will stay in effect until further notice,” the National Weather Service added in the Facebook post.
ABC News reported that a fire that broke out in Horry County, “had scorched more than 300 acres by Sunday morning,” while homes in Georgetown County were affected after a wildfire broke out roughly “35 miles south of Myrtle Beach.”