The South Carolina Forestry Commission has issued a Red Flag Fire Alert for all counties within its PEE DEE and COASTAL operating regions. effective at 7:00 Sat. night. These counties are listed below. As of 5:00 pm Saturday the Forestry Commission has 13 active fires and 28 fire suppression units dispatched statewide.
A Red Flag Fire Alert does not necessarily outlaw outdoor burning. It means that Fire Management staff with the Forestry Commission strongly advises postponing outdoor burning until weather and fuel conditions improve. Be advised, however, that there are a few counties where local ordinances do ban outdoor burning under Red Flag conditions.
An approaching weather system this weekend is expected to bring high winds, low relative humidity and only a negligible amount of rain. These conditions will make debris burns difficult to control and they support the spread of wildfire. Combined with the Commission’s diminished firefighting capacity (due to budget cuts and a shrinking personnel roster), on-going drought conditions, and the tendency for fire starts to spike during weekends, SCFC staff have chosen to issue this Red Flag Alert.
Red Flag Alerts are issued to protect the public and reduce the number of fires our crews will have to suppress.
Counties affected in the Commission’s Pee Dee operating region:
- Chesterfield
- Clarendon
- Darlington
- Dillon
- Florence
- Georgetown
- Horry
- Kershaw
- Lancaster
- Lee
- Marion
- Marlboro
- Sumter
- Williamsburg
Counties affected in the Commission’s Coastal operating region:
- Aiken
- Allendale
- Bamberg
- Barnwell
- Beaufort
- Berkeley
- Calhoun
- Charleston
- Colleton
- Dorchester
- Hampton
- Jasper
- Orangeburg
This Alert remains in effect until further notice. Suspected wildfires should be promptly reported to 911 or the Forestry Commission Dispatch Center, 1-800-777-FIRE.
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