Crews contain blaze in Myrtle Beach area

Two years to the week after the state's largest wildfire -- the 19,000-acre blaze that destroyed 70 homes in Horry County -- fire crews were taking no chances Sunday.

A fire that started about 2:30 p.m. in the 1800 block of International Drive quickly developed four heads, and the South Carolina Department of Forestry called out reinforcements to make sure the blaze didn't get out of hand like the one in 2009.

By late evening, though, firefighters had the fire contained and the charred area was limited to about 75 acres in the Carolina Forest area, said Forestry spokesman Scott Hawkins.

Crews had anticipated having it fully contained by midnight, but Hawkins sent out a notice about 10 p.m. saying the fire was contained and that crews will work today to enhance the containment lines.

"It might still be burning inside the containment area, but containment prevents it from spreading," he said.

The fire's cause remains under investigation, but no structures were threatened and no one was hurt. Hawkins said the forestry department hopes to know the cause within 24 to 48 hours.

Earlier in the day, Hawkins said, officials were worried the fire could have grown to 1,000 acres Sunday night.

The nature of a wildfire is that it is wild, Hawkins said, recalling the 2009 conflagration near Barefoot Landing that spread out through the woods around the county.

"It's near the same location, it's the same time of the year, and those fuels are ready to burn," Hawkins said.

But the International Fire wasn't as aggressive and the weather wasn't as windy as during the 2009 fire.

"We didn't do anything different this time -- the crews are trained to fight fires in a certain way," Hawkins said.

Eleven crews had eight plows and other heavy equipment to help them contain the fire, as well as a plane to help provide tactical information. Horry County Fire & Rescue crews were lending support, Hawkins said, as they always do.

He said the county's firefighters can always be counted on to help.