BERKELEY COUNTY, S.C. – The South Carolina Forestry Commission has issued a red flag fire alert for Berkeley County and the rest of the state. The alert went into effect at 6 a.m. Saturday.
According to the fire commission, the alert is intended to discourage people from burning outdoors when weather conditions present an elevated risk of wildfire.
Forecasts are calling for low relative humidities and higher-than-normal wind speeds, including 20+mph wind gusts, across much of the state through the weekend.
A red flag fire alert does not prohibit outdoor burning, provided that all other state and local regulations are followed, but the Forestry Commission uses the alert to strongly encourage citizens to voluntarily postpone any such burning until the alert is lifted.
Land managers who are considering conducting prescribed fires should take extra care if they
choose to burn under a red flag.
“The dangerous conditions we’re going to see over the next few days make a good portion of the state vulnerable to fires that can spread rapidly and be difficult to control,” said SCFC Fire Chief Darryl Jones. “These kinds of spring weather patterns are what make this time of year the traditional peak of our wildfire season.”
Historically, wildfire occurrence in South Carolina is greater in March than in any other month. April is very active as well, having seen some of the most destructive fires in the state’s history, including the Highway 31 Fire near Myrtle Beach in 2009, which burned 19,130 acres and destroyed 76 homes. That fire, the second largest on record, was the result of an escaped debris burn.
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