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Yahoo
10-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
SC wildfires prompt bill increasing penalties on people who cause them
Smoke from the Table Rock wildfire in northern Pickens County obscures the sun on Wednesday, March 26, 2025. (Photo by Mark Susko/Special to the SC Daily Gazette) COLUMBIA— Following wildfires that scorched more than 18,000 acres in South Carolina, legislators are considering increasing penalties for the people who carelessly put lives and property at risk. The lead sponsor of a bill discussed Wednesday said he hopes the threat of higher fines and jail time cause people to think before negligently starting a blaze. 'We're doing all we can to prevent these types of fires,' Rep. Tim McGinnis, R-Myrtle Beach, told a House subcommittee considering the bill. It was the first hearing on a bill he introduced March 27 with 26 co-sponsors. 'Much like you think twice before you have a few drinks and get behind an automobile, I want you to think twice before you burn,' he said. No injuries or damage to structures as SC wildfires expand past 10,000 acres It's a danger that hits close to home for him: McGinnis noted he could smell the smoke from the Carolina Forest fire that spread to more than 2,000 acres the first weekend of March. It's still not completely out. As of Tuesday, that fire was 90% contained, according to the state Forestry Commission. The agency declared wildfires in Pickens and Greenville counties 100% contained, thanks to significant rainfall Monday in the Upstate. They were the largest of 395 wildfires statewide last month that burned a total of 23,525 acres, according to the commission. There have been no reports of injuries or significant property loss from any of them. But they still endangered the lives of residents and the firefighters working to put them out. Plus, the fires prompted evacuations, required the help of paid and volunteer firefighters statewide, and cost millions to control, legislators said. Yet, the people who carelessly start such disasters are hardly punished. The penalty needs to be more of a deterrent, McGinnis said. Under the changes discussed Wednesday, the maximum penalty for people who carelessly or negligently set a fire that spreads would increase from 30 days to one year in jail on first offense. They could also be fined up to $5,000, up from just $200. If they do it again, their penalties would increase to up to three years of imprisonment and a $25,000 fine. Rep. Jeff Johnson, the subcommittee chairman, said he's 'a big proponent of doing something that makes' those responsible for causing wildfires more accountable. Johnson, a Conway Republican, called it a 'great bill.' But he wanted more time to look over the proposed amendment before his subcommittee took a vote. According to the Forestry Commission, at least two of last month's largest wildfires were started by human carelessness. For the Carolina Forest fire, a 40-year-old Myrtle Beach woman was arrested March 6 and accused of 'not taking the proper precautions' to prevent flames from spreading from her fire pit. Her attorney is seeking a dismissal, saying she's being scapegoated. The Table Rock blaze in Pickens County started March 21 from four teenagers, including a juvenile under 18 years old, who failed to properly put out cigarettes. All four face a negligence charge, according to the commission. That fire grew to 13,845 acres — jumping the North Carolina border — making it the largest recorded mountain fire in state history. About 1,400 homes were evacuated as a result of it. An investigation continues into the Persimmon Ridge fire in Greenville County, which burned more than 2,100 acres, Justin Holt, a Forestry Commission spokesman, told the SC Daily Gazette. Combatting last month's three largest wildfires cost the Forestry Commission alone more than $10 million, not including aid from dozens of other state and local agencies, he said. Scott Phillips, the commission's head forester, supported the bill, saying the agency 'generally supports increases in penalties for wildfire related criminal charges.' House Majority Leader Davey Hiott also supported increasing the penalties. The Pickens Republican said he could see flames from the Table Rock fire from his front porch. 'You read about these things. You see these things on TV. You never think they are going to hit home as close as this one did,' Hiott said.
Yahoo
31-03-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Rain helps slow Upstate wildfires, as some evacuations shift to voluntary
Table Rock in northern Pickens County is obscured by smoke from a wildfire on Friday, March 28, 2025. (Photo by Mark Susko/Special to the SC Daily Gazette) Firefighters have begun to contain wildfires in the Upstate, with the help of some weekend rain. Together, the two fires burning in Greenville and Pickens counties grew to more than 13,500 acres over the weekend. By Saturday, the Table Rock wildfire in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains had become the largest, single mountain fire in state history. Neither grew significantly between Sunday and Monday, with help from rain and increasing containment, according to a Monday update from the state Forestry Commission. As of Monday morning, the Table Rock fire was 30% contained, and the Persimmon Ridge fire was 64% contained, according to the commission. That was a big improvement from Friday, a week after the first fire started, when both were at 0% containment. 'Yesterday's rainfall, coupled with the strong firefighting efforts over the past several days, have allowed us to make great progress on the fires,' Mike Brod, who oversees a team of firefighters, said in a Monday morning update. No homes had been damaged, and no injuries or deaths had been reported as of Monday, according to the commission. People in Pickens County were allowed to return home Saturday evening as evacuations shifted from mandatory to voluntary. Greenville County residents nearest the blaze on Persimmon Ridge remained under mandatory evacuation orders. No injuries or damage to structures as SC wildfires expand past 10,000 acres The larger Table Rock fire, which was burning at more than 12,500 acres Monday, jumped the North Carolina border Sunday, igniting more than 500 acres over the state line in Transylvania County. Officials planned to focus Monday on the northern and eastern edges of the Table Rock fire where the fire was smoldering. The half-inch or so of rain that fell Sunday will allow firefighters to work much closer to the flames, preventing them from spreading, Brod said. The eastern edge of the Persimmon Ridge Fire was also a concern, since the flames had reached debris leftover from Hurricane Helene. Crews planned to break up the piles of debris to reduce fuel for the fire, Brod said. More rain is expected Monday, with the National Weather Service predicting thunderstorms throughout the day Monday and again Wednesday. Following the weekend rain showers, officials lifted a statewide burn ban for all but five counties. Residents in Greenville, Horry, Oconee, Pickens and Spartanburg counties still may not set fires outdoors because resources are already stretched thin fighting fires in those areas, according to a news release. Both fires were set by people. Four teenage hikers have been questioned by police about the Table Rock fire, and 'charges are pending,' according to the latest update from the Pickens County Sheriff's Office.
Yahoo
28-03-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
No injuries or damage to structures as SC wildfires expand past 10,000 acres
Smoke from the Table Rock wildfire in northern Pickens County near the North Carolina border can be seen on Friday, March 28, 2025. (Photo by Mark Susko/Special to the SC Daily Gazette) Wildfires in the Upstate have grown exponentially over the past week, forcing mandatory evacuations as weather conditions and debris from Hurricane Helene impede efforts to stop the flames spreading. No structures have been damaged, and no injuries or deaths have been reported, officials said during a Friday media briefing, one week after the first of the two fires started. Together, the fires in Greenville and Pickens counties had burned more than 10,600 total acres as of Friday morning, officials said. Both fires, which officials said were manmade, remained 0% contained. A statewide burn ban remains in effect. Four teenage hikers have been questioned by police about the Table Rock fire, and 'charges are pending,' according to the Pickens County Sheriff's Office. For more information Call (864) 467-3428 between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. for more information on evacuations and shelters. Source: SC Forestry Commission The fires prompted mandatory evacuations for people nearest the flames. About 1,400 homes were evacuated as of Thursday morning, according to Greenville County Emergency Management. A shelter set up at Marietta First Baptist Church had about 20 people staying there Friday morning, said Kim Stenson, director of the state Emergency Management Division. The fire is the largest mountain wildfire in state history, surpassing a 2016 fire in the same area that burned 10,000 acres. 'We've never had a fire quite like this,' Gov. Henry McMaster said. Downed trees and other debris knocked loose when Hurricane Helene hit the state as a tropical storm in September are complicating matters, said Scott Phillips, head of the state Forestry Commission. Firefighters are struggling to get equipment onto paths blocked by the storm. Some trees fell across established fire breaks, meaning crews have to saw through logs to keep the fire from spreading even further. Dried-out timber also created more fuel for the fire. While that hasn't been the primary concern yet, it could become a much bigger issue of the flames reach areas where timber cleared from roads still sits in stacks, Phillips said. The debris 'is going to change the way we have to attack fires in the mountains of South Carolina and in the Hurricane Helene-impacted areas,' Phillips said. High winds combined with recent dry conditions have made the fires particularly difficult to contain. Crews have been working to create perimeters cleared of debris that the fire can't cross, but the wind has carried embers from the Table Rock over barriers as wide as 40 feet, Phillips said. 'With these fires and the conditions we're facing in the state right now, the dryness of the fuel, the extreme low humidities, the high winds that we're having, containment is very, very difficult to achieve,' Phillips said. Embers ignited parts of Table Rock State Park earlier this week, Phillips said. Table Rock, Caesars Head and Jones Gap state parks remained closed Friday, according to the state parks department. State Law Enforcement Division and National Guard teams had dropped more than 700,000 gallons of water on the fire by Friday, agency directors said. Air tankers dropped thousands of gallons of fire retardant along the northern edge of the fires Thursday, according to the Forestry Commission. Among them was a very large air tanker, which the commission used for the first time in the state. SLED has also been helping police monitor evacuated neighborhoods to prevent looting and keep roads clear of spectators who have been congregating, said SLED Chief Mark Keel. Much of the firefighters' focus has been on protecting nearby structures, officials said. One way of doing that is through burnout operations, in which crews intentionally light fires they can closely monitor to reduce the fuel leading up to buildings, slowing the uncontrolled wildfire. The fires are visible from miles around, said House Majority Leader Davey Hiott, who lives about 7 miles from the blaze in Pickens. His home isn't within the current evacuation zone, but he can see the glow of the fire on the side of the mountain from his front porch, he said. Upstate SC wildfires burn upwards of 2,000 acres 'There's smoke everywhere,' Hiott said. The high winds died down slightly Friday, helping matters somewhat, officials said. The National Weather Service is predicting rain Sunday and Monday, which could help firefighters control the blaze. 'Pray for the men and women out here, and pray for rain,' Hiott said. A fire near Myrtle Beach that ignited last month continues to burn. At about 2,000 acres, that fire is about 85% contained and has damaged no structures or killed any people, Phillips said. This month, the Forestry Commission has responded to more than 370 fires that burned more than 18,000 acres total, Phillips said. That's 'orders of magnitude' more than the commission usually sees in a month, and more than it has seen in some years, he said. April is typically the busiest month for forest fires, Phillips said. 'This is going to be a long season for us as we move forward,' he said. Smoke from the Table Rock wildfire envelops Saluda Hill Baptist Church in Cleveland, S.C., on Friday, March 28, 2025. (Photo by Mark Susko/Special to the SC Daily Gazette) Smoke from a wildfire obscures Table Rock in northern Pickens County on Wednesday, March 26, 2025. (Photo by Mark Susko/Special to the SC Daily Gazette) Smoke from the Table Rock wildfire in northern Pickens County obscures the sun on Wednesday, March 26, 2025. (Photo by Mark Susko/Special to the SC Daily Gazette) Smoke from the Table Rock wildfire fills the skies in northern Pickens County near sundown on Wednesday, March 26, 2025. (Photo by Mark Susko/Special to the SC Daily Gazette) Sun shines through smoke from the Table Rock wildfire in northern Pickens County on Friday, March 28, 2025. (Photo by Mark Susko/Special to the SC Daily Gazette) Smoke from the Table Rock wildfire in northern Pickens County near the North Carolina border can be seen on Friday, March 28, 2025. (Photo by Mark Susko/Special to the SC Daily Gazette) Pickens County Sheriff's deputies block traffic on S.C. Highway 11, also known as Cherokee Foothills Scenic Highway, due to the Table Rock wildfire on Friday, March 28, 2025. (Photo by Mark Susko/Special to the SC Daily Gazette) Smoke from the Table Rock wildfire envelops the Cherokee Foothills Scenic Highway (S.C. Highway 11) in northern Pickens County on Friday, March 28, 2025. (Photo by Mark Susko/Special to the SC Daily Gazette) Table Rock in northern Pickens County is obscured by smoke from a wildfire on Friday, March 28, 2025. (Photo by Mark Susko/Special to the SC Daily Gazette) Smoke from the Table Rock wildfire in northern Pickens County near the North Carolina border can be seen on Friday, March 28, 2025. (Photo by Mark Susko/Special to the SC Daily Gazette) A sign alerts traffic to a road closure due to the Table Rock wildfire in northern Pickens County on Friday, March 28, 2025. (Photo by Mark Susko/Special to the SC Daily Gazette) Sun shines through smoke from the Table Rock wildfire along a river near S.C. Highway 11 on Friday, March 28, 2025. (Photo by Mark Susko/Special to the SC Daily Gazette) Table Rock in northern Pickens County is obscured by smoke from a wildfire on Friday, March 28, 2025. (Photo by Mark Susko/Special to the SC Daily Gazette) A sign alerts traffic to a road closure due to the Table Rock wildfire in northern Pickens County on Friday, March 28, 2025. (Photo by Mark Susko/Special to the SC Daily Gazette)
