Latest news with #TonyCasey
Yahoo
24-03-2025
- Yahoo
Mysterious smoke plume spotted in Myrtle Beach and Conway area. Here's what's going on
A large debris fire created a highly visible plume of black smoke north of Myrtle Beach. The contained fire is at the Horry County Recycling Center and Landfill, 1886 S.C. 90, Conway, according to a Facebook post from Horry County Fire Rescue. It's not known what started the Sunday afternoon fire, Horry County spokesman Tony Casey wrote in a text to The Sun News. Due to dry and windy weather, Horry County, per the county's fire rescue, has been under a burn ban since March 20. People are prohibited from starting any outdoor fires. Many people shared images of the S.C. 90 smoke plume on social media. The posts comes as the Covington Drive fire continues to smolder in the Carolina Forest area. The fire, which is 2,059 acres and 80% contained, started at the beginning of March. At its worst, the flames moved into resident's backyards, and while no structures were burnt down, many sustained damage from the heat and smoke. Fortunately no lives were lost, The Sun News reported. The South Carolina Forest Commission arrested a Alexandra Bialousow on March 6 for allegedly starting the wildfire, although her lawyer said she is innocent and said the agency is using her as a 'scapegoat.'
Yahoo
03-03-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Carolina Forest blaze escalated after backyard fire reported, Horry County official says
HORRY COUNTY, S.C. (WBTW) — A small backyard fire that began late Saturday afternoon quickly grew into a large wildfire that spread across Carolina Forest and pulled in more than 500 personnel, Horry County officials said on Monday. 'It's a small incident at first, (but) with the conditions the way they are and what unfolded after, that turned it into the large-scale event we're dealing with now,' county spokesman Tony Casey told News13. Officials also said the focus is on containing the Covington Drive Fire that's grown to 1,600 acres with 30% containment. 'This would still be an investigation after the fire is put out to determine where it began and how it began,' county spokeswoman Mikalya Moskov said. 'We want to get to the point where this isn't posing a risk to anyone, and everyone is able to return to their daily way of life.' Russell Hubright of the state Forestry Commission said a prescribed burn days earlier along International Drive did not contribute to Saturday's incident. He added that 'multiple complexities' including how close the wildfire came to homes and unfavorable terrain impacted response and containment efforts. 'You've got these boggy areas that also have heavy, heavy fuel loadings' such as wax myrtles, bay birches and vines that enabled flames to climb as high as 30 feet in some places, Hubright said. 'Just under the surface, it's very wet. So when our bulldozers try to get a containment line in there, sometimes they sink out of sight, and so we've had to pull ourselves out several times during this fire,' he said. 'Little by little, we'll see more containment here. The lines we established are in good shape, and they'll hold if a fire bumps up against it.' * * * 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. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
