Horry County remains under burn ban, 41 other counties lifted
HORRY COUNTY, S.C. (WBTW) — Horry County is one of five across the state that will not see its burn ban lifted, the South Carolina Forestry Commission said Sunday.
The State Forester's Burning Ban will be lifted for 41 counties. The five who will not see this lift include Horry, Greenville, Oconee, Pickens and Spartanburg. Those counties will remain under the burn ban until further notice.
The ban in Horry County remains in place while the Forestry Commission resources continue to focus their efforts on mop-up and strengthening firebreaks around the Covington Drive Fire, which is now 85% contained.
Crews continue to put out flare-ups in Carolina Forest wildfire
'Burning bans are not intended to be extended, much less permanent, solutions to wildfires,' SCFC Fire Chief Darryl Jones said. 'Prescribed burns in particular are necessary tools for forestry and agriculture, but we can't emphasize enough the importance of using fire prudently and respecting the weather.'
The Forestry Commission also said that the amount of personnel and equipment that is dedicated to the Table Rock Complex in Greenville and Pickens counties, which includes two wildfires that have grown to a combined 13,000-plus acres, has potential to strain the capacity of local response to new wildfire ignitions.
The lifted ban in the other 41 counties comes from the improvement of low relative humidity and gusty winds since the March 21 burning ban. These conditions are expected to ease significantly across the state over the next week, the Forestry Commission said.
Underlying conditions still warrant extreme caution when burning outdoors, the commission said. Above-average fire danger and activity is expected through April, which has historically seen the worst, most damaging and costly wildfires in South Carolina.
Count on News13 for updates.
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Jordan White is a Digital Producer at News13. She joined the News13 team in August 2024. Jordan, a Myrtle Beach native, graduated from St. James High School in Murrells Inlet and is a graduate of Coker University. Follow Jordan on Facebook, X, formerly Twitter, 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 This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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