BERKELEY COUNTY, S.C. – Firefighters continue making steady progress against the Horse Island Fire in Berkeley County, increasing containment to 40% as crews work to secure the perimeter of the 1,011-acre wildfire burning in the Francis Marion National Forest, according to the U.S. Forest Service.
The wildfire, located near Shulerville, remains active within an approximately 200-acre pocket of unburned vegetation inside the established fire lines. Officials said the interior fuels are continuing to smolder and creep, producing visible smoke that is expected to persist even as containment improves.
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Firefighters spent Wednesday strengthening containment lines, removing hazardous trees near the fire’s edge and extinguishing hot spots to reduce the chance of the blaze escaping the current perimeter.
Although the fire area received about one-tenth of an inch of rain Wednesday morning, officials said the precipitation was not enough to significantly affect fire behavior.
The fire remains at 1,011 acres. Firefighters recently completed more accurate mapping of the burn area, confirming the current acreage.
The threat to nearby homes and other structures has been reduced to a low risk, and no evacuation orders are in effect.
About 40 firefighters and three helicopters remain assigned to the incident. Weather conditions Wednesday included light southwest winds with gusts up to 18 mph and a slight chance of additional rainfall.
Three Forest Service roads remain closed to protect firefighters and the public: Yellow Jacket Road (Forest Service Road 159), Horse Island Road (Forest Service Road 162) and New Hope Road (Forest Service Road 177).
Forest Service officials are also reminding the public not to fly drones near the wildfire. Any drone spotted in the area forces firefighting aircraft to land immediately because of the risk of a midair collision, temporarily halting aerial operations.
The Horse Island Fire was discovered around 4 p.m. Saturday, July 18, in a remote, heavily forested section of the Francis Marion National Forest east of Shulerville. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
