04-03-2025
Carolina Forest blaze is latest chapter in Horry County's dramatic wildfire history
HORRY COUNTY, S.C. (WBTW) — Wildfires have long been part of South Carolina's history, and Horry County has often played an outsized role in that story.
In February 1898, at least 14 people were killed as up to three million acres of land burned from Aiken County to Chatham County, N.C. and east to Marlboro County — driven by 40 mph winds that allowed flames to swallow up wooden homes and sawmills.
The South Carolina Forestry Commission was formed in 1927 — with forest fire protection put at the top of its mission.
In 1936, a Georgetown County man was ordered to assist in wildfire suppression for the rest of his life after a magistrate judge sentenced him for careless burning.
Here's a look back at some of the region's most significant wildfire activity.
Four months before Hurricane Hazel slammed into coastal South Carolina a Category 4, a cigarette sparked what would become the 10,192-acre Bombing Range Fire on June 27. Air temperatures reached 107 degrees and stayed in triple digits for three days.
April 2, 1966: A wildfire near Pee Dee Camp in Marlboro County burns 5,550 acres
March 4, 1967: Longs Crossroads Fire in Horry County burns 1,200 acres
April 18, 1967: Buist Tract Fire in Horry County scorches 6,005 acres over three days
April 2, 1969: Highway 77 fire burns 3,050 acres in Marlboro County
Dec. 5, 1970: Bristow Fire burns 1.082 acres in Marlboro County
April 1, 1972: A backyard trash fire escaped, taking out 1,045 acres in Darlington and Chesterfield counties.
The Clear Pond Fire would eventually destroy 30,000 acres across a 14-mile path of destruction between Conway and Myrtle Beach, sparked on April 10, 1976 by an unattended campfire.
One day later, a smoke plume rose 10,000 feet and extended far across the Atlantic Ocean. Before the sun went down, 17,000 acres were gone.
By April 17, the fire was fully under control: Miraculously, there were no fatalities or serious injuries associated with the fire, nor were any homes lost. More than 65 Forestry Commission bulldozers and 113 agency personnel from 28 counties were brought in to knock down the flames — 200 more people contributed locally.
What began on April 22, 2009 as a small blaze in a forested area just off Highway 31 would over the next 36 hours grew into a 19,000-acre conflagration that destroyed 76 homes, damaged 97 others and forced the evacuation of 4,000 people.
It would be nearly a month before officials had full control of the scene, which caused an estimated $17 million in lost timber and another $25 million from the destroyed homes, mostly around the Barefoot Resort.
A 2010 state Forestry Commission after action report outlines the fire's strength and its peak, the fire spread at more than 2.4 miles an hour, with flame lengths of up to 270 feet.
More than 1,500 people were involved in the response — including three aircraft.
'The Highway 31 fire represents the largest mobilization of SCFC resources to a wildfire on record,' the report says.
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Adam Benson joined the News13 digital team in January 2024. He is a veteran South Carolina reporter with previous stops at the Greenwood Index-Journal, Post & Courier and The Sun News in Myrtle Beach. Adam is a Boston native and University of Utah graduate. Follow Adam on X, formerly Twitter, at @AdamNewshound12. See more of his work here.
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