Latest news with #S.C.ForestryCommission
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Facing growing maintenance costs, SC Forestry Commission looks to replace 2 planes
The Table Rock fire in South Carolina's Upstate was one of three major fires the state Forestry Commission faced this spring, leading to increased costs. (Photo provided by S.C. Forestry Commission) COLUMBIA — After fighting three large fires earlier this year, the state's Forestry Commission is in the market to buy two airplanes that could help with future efforts. With final approval Tuesday from the state's fiscal oversight board, the commission can use $1.4 million from its reserves to replace two of its 10 planes with newer, more dependable models, according to documents submitted to the State Fiscal Accountability Authority. Those two planes, which are part of a decades-old fleet, have caused maintenance costs to climb and are more often out of commission, leading to the potential for gaps in firefighting during a year in which the commission has faced massive wildfires, Forester Scott Phillips wrote in a letter to the panel. Altogether, between Jan. 1 and the end of May, more than 31,000 acres burned in the state, commission spokesman Doug Wood told the SC Daily Gazette. For comparison, an average of 8,000 acres burned during the five years prior, he said. None of the fires led to injuries or deaths, and no structures were damaged, Forestry Commission officials have said. The commission's fleet of planes help spot and fight fires, as well as assess damage from storms, insects and diseases that affect trees, Phillips wrote in a letter seeking permission to spend an additional $1 million. That's on top of the $425,000 that legislators provided the agency in the 2022-23 state budget to buy two planes, which has gone unspent. Aircraft prices skyrocketed soon after, leaving the commission unable to find suitable planes for that price tag, he wrote. SC replacing state planes amid growing maintenance costs Typically, the commission leases its planes from the U.S. Department of Agriculture through a program that loans federal hand-me-down planes, often originally used by the Department of Defense, to state foresters. Nearly the entire 10-plane fleet was manufactured in the 1960s, and two have mounting maintenance needs that make them more expensive and less effective, Wood said. Because of the ages of the commission's existing planes, they are 'more costly to maintain and have more downtime, which results in canceled missions due to aircraft availability,' Phillips wrote. The commission plans to buy two used four-seater Cessna 182T planes, produced between 2001 and 2013, which often sell for somewhere between $450,000 and $600,000. If none are available within the price range, the commission will pivot to buy the best plane that comes up on the market that the agency can afford, Phillips wrote. The expense of flying in aircraft from other states to fight three major fires this spring led to another funding request. The commission needed approval to use $1.5 million meant for salaries this fiscal year — but unspent due to vacancies at the agency — to instead cover its 'unprecedented' wildfire fighting costs, according to committee documents. The five-member oversight board approved the request Tuesday without discussion. The Table Rock and Persimmon Ridge fires in the Upstate, coupled with the Covington Drive fire in Horry County's Carolina Forest, burned more than 18,000 acres at the end of March and into early April. Fighting those fires had cost the commission about $11.3 million by mid-April, when the commission made its request, Phillips wrote. That number has likely grown, since the fires continued to burn long after they were contained. The total cost of fighting more than 1,500 fires that have burned across the state since the beginning of the year has not yet been calculated, since most of that comes from the agency's usual $55 million budget, Wood said. Firefighting partners from Florida took over command of the Horry County fire in March to give the South Carolina firefighters time to rest. Outside contractors also helped contain, suppress and monitor all three major fires, Wood said. Because of the large number of acres burned, especially during those three fires, those extra resources 'provided valuable assistance,' according to committee documents.
Yahoo
24-03-2025
- Yahoo
Upstate SC wildfires burn upwards of 2,000 acres
The Table Rock Fire in South Carolina's Upstate started late Friday, March 21, and has burned about 1,300 acres, according to the state Forestry Commission. (Photo provided by S.C. Forestry Commission) A pair of wildfires that flared up over the weekend in South Carolina's Upstate have burned more than 2,000 acres combined. Emergency officials are reporting no injuries and no home damage so far from the Table Rock Fire in Pickens County and Persimmon Ridge Fire in Greenville County, according to state Forestry Commission spokeswoman Michelle Johnson. Neither fire is contained. A statewide burning ban remains in place until further notice. Officials asked residents of about 100 homes just east of Table Rock State Park in Pickens County to voluntarily evacuate as the blaze, started by teenage hikers in the park, spread to about 1,300 acres over the past three days. High winds, dry conditions and downed trees from Hurricane Helene fueled the fire's spread, prompting Gov. Henry McMaster to declare a state of emergency Saturday. And on Monday, the Federal Emergency Management Agency approved South Carolina for federal aid. This allows the state to seek reimbursement for 75% of costs associated with battling the fires, including personnel costs and equipment, such as air tankers and bulldozers. Pickens County sheriff's deputies first spotted the Table Rock Fire at about 5:45 p.m. Friday — 15 minutes before the statewide burning ban went into effect. The deputies were out searching for hiker Stephanie Womacks, who went missing from her campsite March 3. 'Unfortunately, their search was cut short due to the negligent act of some hikers that led to the forest fire,' Sheriff Blankenship said in a video posted to Facebook. 'Our deputies actually barely escaped the fire.' The teens suspected of starting the fire have been identified and criminal charges are being considered. Some eight miles to the northeast, a second fire started Saturday in the Mountain Bridge Wilderness Area between Caesars Head State Park and Jones Gap State Park, according to the state Forestry Commission. That wildfire also was manmade. Cliff Ridge, a gated subdivision near Caesars Head, and others in the area around Oil Camp Creek are most at risk. But officials have not called for evacuations at this time. Planes and helicopters have been collecting water from Lake Jocassee and dumping it on the two fires. Responders added more aircraft to the fleet Monday, including a Chinook helicopter and two Black Hawk helicopters from the S.C. National Guard, a State Law Enforcement Division helicopter and two Forestry Commission air tankers. To protect homes near Table Rock, firefighters built a 150-acre backburn — an intentional fire set to burn up any potential fuel and create a barrier. Officials set up a shelter at Holly Springs Community Center for evacuating residents. The current fires stir memories of an earlier blaze. The Pinnacle Mountain Fire — the largest mountain fire in state history at 10,000 acres — burned the same area of Pickens County in 2016 after a campfire set by some Boy Scouts camping in Table Rock State Park got out of control. The fires also come on the heels of more than 175 wildfires sparked in Horry, Spartanburg, Oconee, Union and Pickens counties the first weekend of March, impacting more than 4,200 acres total, according to the State Fire Marshal. The biggest, at more than 2,000 acres, was in the Myrtle Beach area. The Carolina Forest Fire, which melted fences and siding on homes in fast-growing Horry County, is now about 80% contained. Wildfire season in South Carolina spans from late winter to early spring. In a typical year, the state responds to more than 5,000 wildfires, which burn nearly 30,000 acres — an area five times the size of Charleston's peninsula, according to the S.C. Emergency Management Division.
Yahoo
24-03-2025
- Yahoo
Upstate SC wildfires burn upwards of 2,000 acres
The Table Rock Fire in South Carolina's Upstate started late Friday, March 21, and has burned about 1,300 acres, according to the state Forestry Commission. (Photo provided by S.C. Forestry Commission) A pair of wildfires that flared up over the weekend in South Carolina's Upstate have burned more than 2,000 acres combined. Emergency officials are reporting no injuries and no home damage so far from the Table Rock Fire in Pickens County and Persimmon Ridge Fire in Greenville County, according to state Forestry Commission spokeswoman Michelle Johnson. Neither fire is contained. A statewide burning ban remains in place until further notice. Officials asked residents of about 100 homes just east of Table Rock State Park in Pickens County to voluntarily evacuate as the blaze, started by teenage hikers in the park, spread to about 1,300 acres over the past three days. High winds, dry conditions and downed trees from Hurricane Helene fueled the fire's spread, prompting Gov. Henry McMaster to declare a state of emergency Saturday. And on Monday, the Federal Emergency Management Agency approved South Carolina for federal aid. This allows the state to seek reimbursement for 75% of costs associated with battling the fires, including personnel costs and equipment, such as air tankers and bulldozers. Pickens County sheriff's deputies first spotted the Table Rock Fire at about 5:45 p.m. Friday — 15 minutes before the statewide burning ban went into effect. The deputies were out searching for hiker Stephanie Womacks, who went missing from her campsite March 3. 'Unfortunately, their search was cut short due to the negligent act of some hikers that led to the forest fire,' Sheriff Blankenship said in a video posted to Facebook. 'Our deputies actually barely escaped the fire.' The teens suspected of starting the fire have been identified and criminal charges are being considered. Some eight miles to the northeast, a second fire started Saturday in the Mountain Bridge Wilderness Area between Caesars Head State Park and Jones Gap State Park, according to the state Forestry Commission. That wildfire also was manmade. Cliff Ridge, a gated subdivision near Caesars Head, and others in the area around Oil Camp Creek are most at risk. But officials have not called for evacuations at this time. Planes and helicopters have been collecting water from Lake Jocassee and dumping it on the two fires. Responders added more aircraft to the fleet Monday, including a Chinook helicopter and two Black Hawk helicopters from the S.C. National Guard, a State Law Enforcement Division helicopter and two Forestry Commission air tankers. To protect homes near Table Rock, firefighters built a 150-acre backburn — an intentional fire set to burn up any potential fuel and create a barrier. Officials set up a shelter at Holly Springs Community Center for evacuating residents. The current fires stir memories of an earlier blaze. The Pinnacle Mountain Fire — the largest mountain fire in state history at 10,000 acres — burned the same area of Pickens County in 2016 after a campfire set by some Boy Scouts camping in Table Rock State Park got out of control. The fires also come on the heels of more than 175 wildfires sparked in Horry, Spartanburg, Oconee, Union and Pickens counties the first weekend of March, impacting more than 4,200 acres total, according to the State Fire Marshal. The biggest, at more than 2,000 acres, was in the Myrtle Beach area. The Carolina Forest Fire, which melted fences and siding on homes in fast-growing Horry County, is now about 80% contained. Wildfire season in South Carolina spans from late winter to early spring. In a typical year, the state responds to more than 5,000 wildfires, which burn nearly 30,000 acres — an area five times the size of Charleston's peninsula, according to the S.C. Emergency Management Division.
