South Carolina Wildfire

[NJFFSA16]

GRANITEVILLE, S.C. (AP) - Firefighters say they've contained a
woods fire authorities say may have been set by 12-year-old boys
playing with matches.
More than 100 firefighters fought the blaze, which threatened
the University of South Carolina Aiken campus and nearby homes.
Authorities think the fire, which burned hundreds of acres,
started about 3:30 p.m. Wednesday in a gully behind an apartment
complex. The fire engulfed trees, then burned to the rear of a
cemetery near U.S. 1 and state Highway 118, according to
firefighters at the scene.
Firefighters used a bulldozer to create a fire break and set a
backfire to burn brush around 7:30 p.m. Authorities say the effort
appears to have worked, but were keeping crews on the scene to make
sure the fire doesn't jump outside the containment area.
The fire came within a mile of the university, causing officials
to evacuate students from classes. The 360 units in the school's
Pacer Downs apartment complex also were evacuated, along with some
nearby homes.
Investigators think Wednesday's fire was intentionally set
because firefighters had fought a brush fire in the same area the
day before. Residents of the complex told police several young boys
were spotted near where the blazes began.
Two 12-year-old boys have been detained for questioning, Aiken
County Sheriff's spokesman Capt. Michael Frank said. Their names
have not been released.
The fire came within 200 yards of some homes and threatened the
Graniteville Cemetery, where the state Forestry Commission used
bulldozers to dig a trench to stop the blaze. The fire still
reached several grave sites.
Members of the Langley Fire Department monitored the tree line
surrounding the cemetery as the fire climbed the walls of a gully.
Firefighters scrambled to extinguish patches of flames.
No firefighters were injured Wednesday, Aiken Public Safety
Department Sgt. David Turno said.

(Copyright 2002 by The Associated Press

[xenophon13]

I spent a few hours on the line at this one and let me tell you it was a pain in the a**. It was in just about the worst terrain avaliable to fight a fire in this area. MOst of the depts. Try to use brush trucks but they couldn't handle the ground. As much as I am a proponet of Forestry I must admit Forestry screwed the pooch on this one. The IC requested 3 dozer/plows the ranger said he would send 1 and then decide if more were needed when that one arrived. By the end of the day there were 10 dozer/plows. I know the world is full of what ifs but those 3 dozer/plows would have had a break around the fire before it reached 50 acres if it got that far. Anyway thats enough from me about this, if anybody else has more questions or wants more comments feel free to ask.

[NJFFSA16]

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (AP) - A fire sparked by construction company
burning debris burned more than 100 acres in Horry County and
forced the evacuation of 52 homes in a subdivision near U.S.
Highway 501, authorities say.
A home and pool house were damaged by the flames, which were
first reported around 10 a.m. Monday, officials said.
No one was seriously injured, although one fire crew was caught
in smoke when it shifted in the wind, and some were treated for
smoke inhalation, said Capt. Eric Stanton, spokesman for Horry
County Fire Rescue
The fire quickly spread and two hours later, emergency workers
with bullhorns took to the streets of part of the Carolina Forest
subdivision between Myrtle Beach and Conway, urging residents to
flee.
Doug Weaver said he was talking to his mother on the telephone
when he noticed ash falling outside the window. He went outside and
heard the evacuation order.
"I went in, grabbed the cat and threw her in the cat box,"
Weaver said. "I went out the front door, and the front yard was on
fire."
At times flames could be seen up to 30 feet above the top of
pine trees and ashes rained down on residents trying to escape.
More than 50 firefighters worked throughout the day to contain
the blaze. By nightfall, only 20 families remained evacuated, Horry
County fire officials said.
But crews were still working through the night to keep the blaze
from spreading, digging trenches around the blaze in areas that had
not burned and setting other fires to burn debris in areas between
the fire and the fire break.
The state Forestry Commission has charged an employee of Weaver
Construction with allowing a trash fire to spread.
The fine is $200, but additional penalties up to $460 could be
levied, agency spokesman Ken Cabe said.
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Information from: The Sun News,
http://www.myrtlebeachonline.com/

(Copyright 2005 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)