South Carolina woman arrested in connection with Myrtle Beach wildfire
A woman accused of igniting a more than 2,000 acre wildfire last week in South Carolina, threatening the lives and homes of hundreds, has been arrested and charged, officials said on Friday.
Alexandra Bialousow, 40, of Myrtle Beach was arrested Thursday on charges of negligently allowed fire to spread and starting a fire in woodlands, grasslands or other places without taking certain precautions, according to the South Carolina Forestry Commission.
The commission said witnesses reported seeing Bialousow start a fire Sunday in a backyard fire pit close to a tree line in the Covington Lakes Subdivision.
"According to the arrest warrant, the suspect 'did not have an appropriate water source readily available,' nor did she 'have any garden tools on hand to control the fire, thus allowing the fire to spread to land owned by Walker Woods HOA," the commission said in a statement.
That fire grew to become the still-active Covington Drive Fire near Myrtle Beach, one of the largest of the more than 175 wildfires that burned across the state over the last week, according to officials.
Bialousow did not immediately respond to a request for comment Saturday.
As of Saturday afternoon, the Covington Drive Fire was 55% contained, according to the forestry commission. No major injuries have been reported from the fires.
Abnormally dry conditions have fueled wildfires that scorched more than 4,000 acres statewide and prompted evacuations, according to the office of South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster.
McMaster declared a state of emergency in response to the fires on Sunday.
'Dangerous wildfire conditions require that a statewide burning ban remain in effect until further notice," he said in a statement. "Those who violate this ban will be subject to criminal prosecution.'
Neither the governor's office nor the Myrtle Beach Police Department immediately responded to a request for comment on Bialousow's arrest.
Bialousow is set to appear in court in Horry County on April 15. If convicted, each charge carries a possible sentence of up to 30 days imprisonment or fines.
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
Myrtle Beach police reflect on successful Carolina Country Music Fest weekend
MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (WBTW) — The Myrtle Beach Police Department said this year's Carolina Country Music Fest was a great one when it came to public safety. Police department spokesperson Randolph Angotti said this year's new, late-night traffic pattern helped significantly in creating an easy walking space for country music fans. Thursday through Sunday last week, police diverted traffic from northbound on Kings Highway to 7th Avenue North, as well as moving flowing southbound Kings Highway traffic onto Mr. Joe White Avenue. 'That allowed us to have an unobstructed intersection at 9th Avenue North. So when gates were opened as people were exiting, they were able to safely and more freely cross the intersection here, and it also allowed the shuttle buses to move very quickly to get the spectators that were using the shuttle service,' he said. Angotti said this system was highly effective, and he hopes to use it again for next year's CCMF. Working with all the city departments, Angotti said the multiple perspectives help with how to progress safety protocols for years to come. 'If the police department ends up needing help or needs a quick hand with something, even if it's not directly public safety-related, other city departments jump in really quickly,' he said. 'We also had extra traffic units throughout the city because we do know that there's extra traffic in our area for an event such as the size.' As months go into planning public safety for CCMF, in addition to the late night traffic pattern changes, hydro and vehicle barriers were placed surrounding the perimeter of the event. 'Those hydro barriers really create the first barrier between vehicles and the pedestrians, wherever they are,' he said. 'Those vehicle barriers just add that reassurance so that there's there's no vehicles entering into a space where there shouldn't be, potentially endangering those that were inside.' Those who have been attending CCMF for all 10 years said that they feel police presence has gotten better each year, adding that they feel that police could be seen inside and outside the event, protecting those in attendance. 'They know more of what's going on and how it's going to happen,' Amanda Crump said. 'So they've been able to better assist us as far as safety as the years progressed.' Jensine Coggin, who lives in Myrtle Beach, said she feels crime has worsened near the Boulevard. She added that she feels less safe walking downtown as the sun goes down. 'I'm going to be honest. I don't walk down here at night by myself. I've never been down here at night by myself,' Coggin said. Coggin said living in the community since 2022, she's felt the police have gotten stronger down by the Boulevard. She said that when there are larger events like CCMF, police are on top of responding to crime. 'But as for like police response, I think they do a great job handling it because, I mean, obviously they don't know when something's going to happen,' she said. 'But you see police guards rotating areas, especially at night, and like areas and stuff like that, you know, that more crime does happen, especially here on the strip is one of them.' Angotti said Ocean Boulevard is still closed between 8th and 9th avenues North as production teams break down the CCMF stage and will reopen Thursday. * * * Gabby Jonas joined the News13 team as a multimedia journalist in April 2024. She is from Columbus, Ohio, and graduated from Kent State University in May 2023. Follow Gabby on X, formerly Twitter, Facebook or Instagram, and read more of her work here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
04-06-2025
- Yahoo
South Carolina man pleads guilty to shooting at police during Carolina Country Music Fest in 2023
CONWAY, S.C. (WBTW) — A South Carolina man pleaded guilty on Tuesday to shooting at police during 2023's Carolina Country Music Fest in Myrtle Beach, the 15th Circuit Solicitor's Office said. Chance Benson, 20, of Spartanburg, pleaded guilty to attempted murder, first-degree assault and battery, and discharging a firearm into an occupied vehicle. Circuit Court Judge David P. Caraker sentenced Benson to 10 years in prison. Police responded to a call about individuals brandishing guns at about 11 p.m. on June 10, 2023, according to the solicitor's office. When officers arrived, Benson and a co-defendant ran from a police vehicle. When police found them, Benson and his co-defendant fired almost 30 shots at officers with the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division and the Myrtle Beach Police Department, the solicitor's office said. One officer was shot during the incident but has since recovered. * * * Caleb is a digital producer at News13. Caleb joined the team in January 2023 after graduating from Liberty University. He is from Northern Virginia. Follow Caleb on X, formerly Twitter, and read more of his work here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
31-05-2025
- Yahoo
‘Make the kids look bad': Mom of Ocean Boulevard shooting victim, civil rights advocate want more answers about what happened
MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (WBTW) — The mother of a victim in April's officer-involved shooting on Ocean Boulevard and a civil rights leader say they are not satisfied with the Myrtle Beach Police Department's briefing and dashcam footage of the incident released on Thursday. Myrtle Beach Police Chief Amy Prock said in a recorded briefing Thursday afternoon that Officer Brandon O'Rourke shot and killed 18-year-old Jerrius Davis of Bennettsville, after Davis shot into a crowd on the boulevard on April 26. O'Rourke and two other officers who witnessed the shooting are all back at work after being on paid leave during the investigation. Eleven people were hurt in the shooting. Kendra Malloy, the mother of Serenity Chavis, who was one of the victims, said the dashcam footage that shows Davis shooting into a crowd and officers returning fire as he runs away is 'weak.' Malloy said she wants to see officers' body camera footage of the incident because the dashcam footage does not show the whole story. John Barnett, a civil-rights activist, said the footage released Thursday does not give the victims or their families any closure or justice. 'We want to know: Who are all the victims on April 26?' Barnett said. 'What are you all doing to resolve this issue? What are you doing to put a Band-Aid on this open wound? What are you doing in reference to counseling? What are you doing in reference to the investigation? Releasing excerpts of videos is just not enough.' Malloy and Barnett also said they do not think an incident at September football game in Laurinburg led to the shooting, like Prock said Thursday in the YouTube video released by the department. The Scotland County School district said Friday officers there were not aware of any incident during a game against neighboring Marlboro County. In the video, Prock said many events led up to the shooting, begnning with a 'heated exchange' during the football game. 'It's to, kind of, make the kids look bad,' Malloy said. 'There's no relation to a last year incident that has nothing to do with kids having a good time at Myrtle Beach.' Barnett also pushed back against police. 'They wanted to make sure that they get the heat off of the officers,' Barnett said. 'It's imperative we create a narrative that the police was not fully responsible for the shootings that happened on April 26.' Prock said three people have been arrested so far, including two juveniles, in the events connected to the Ocean Blvd shooting. She also said the 11 shooting victims, ages 13 to 43, had gunshot-related injuries and have all been released from the hospital. However, Barnett said the three victims he has spoken to are still in physical pain, still need counseling, and still need their voices heard. 'Treat our 11 victims of the April 26 shooting as if they were Hunter Biden, as if they were Donald Trump's children, as if they were someone who we all know and love,' he said. Barnett hopes to meet with Prock and Myrtle Beach Mayor Brenda Bethune next week. For a timeline of the events authorities say led up to the boulevard shooting and to listen to Chief Prock's full statement, click here. * * * Skylar Musick is a multimedia journalist at News13. Skylar is originally from Long Island, New York. She joined the News13 team in June 2024 after graduating from Villanova University in May 2024. Follow Skylar on X, formerly Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram, and read more of her work here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
