Charred trees now tower over bright green vegetation between Carolina Forest and North Myrtle Beach along S.C. 31, where the state’s most destructive wildfire burned five years ago.
The fire, which spread over 19,130 acres, damaged 97 homes and destroyed 76 homes estimated to be worth $25 million, according to the S.C. Forestry Commission. The state’s largest fire on record burned 30,000 acres in the same area in April 1976 but is not considered the most destructive because homes were not lost.
Five years after the S.C. 31 fire, S.C. Forestry Commission and Horry County Fire Rescue officials say residents and firefighters have learned lessons, and improvements have been made, particularly in firefighting equipment.
Capt. Tim Rainbolt, with Horry County Fire Rescue, and the commission’s forestry protection chief Daryl Jones said the area continues to be vulnerable for another fire because of the vegetation and landscape, but the changes made in each agency will help in the future.
Firefighters with the S.C. Forestry Commission used Vietnam-era fire tracks during the fire in 2009, said Doug Mills, the agency’s fleet manager. Fire tracks and fire plows are the two main pieces of large equipment used by the commission. The plows are used as a first attack to dig breaks around the fire, removing vegetation which acts as fuel and works to prevent the blaze from expanding, Jones said. The fire tracks carry water tanks and “are generally the second wave in” to put out hot spots, he said.
From MyrtleBeachOnline.com: https://www.myrtlebeachonline.com/2014/04/22/4181278/agencies-residents-reflect-on.html