Residents leave homes after wildfires threaten neighborhoods in Myrtle Beach area
Michael Schutz was sitting on the curb in the parking lot of the Carolina Forest Recreational Center.
He and his dog had just been evacuated Saturday from their home in Birnamwood Court after wildfires raged through the neighborhoods of Walkers Woods and Avalon in the Myrtle Beach area.
“It’s kind of eerie,” Schutz said as he looked at the smoke billowing in the sky.
Police began knocking on homeowners’ doors Saturday afternoon, telling them they needed to evacuate as the fire spread to nearby homes and structures.
Schutz said he and his wife grabbed important papers, tax documents and then left. “Whatever we got, it’s something,” he said. “It’s nerve-wracking.”
Before leaving the home, Schutz turned on all the sprinklers in his yard and aimed one of them toward the roof to prevent embers from catching his home on fire.
It is unclear how big the wildfires are.
Firefighters with Horry County Fire Rescue, North Myrtle Beach and South Carolina Forestry Commission are battling fires in the area of Carolina Forest and Old Highway 90 and Edge Road. The fire near Lewis Bay Ocean Preserve has grown to more than 100 acres.
Fires in the Walkers Woods area turned the evening sky a bright orange and smoke hung heavy in the air.
Horry County Police and Red Cross workers were at the recreation center setting up provisions for those checking in. The parking lot was full of evacuees, and more vehicles were entering the parking lot as night fell.
Adrianna Seals, Horry County public information officer, said that logistics were being coordinated for those who might need to spend the night at the shelter.
A burn ban has been in place in Horry County since Thursday as dry and windy conditions persist.
David Torres said he, his wife and son, along with their two dogs, left their home in the Avalon neighborhood after police drove through telling people to leave.
“I’m a little worried if our homes are OK,” Dawn Bell said about 6:30 p.m. She said police knocked on her door at The Cloisters in Carolina Forest, telling them to evacuate.
She, along with other neighbors, had been at the recreation center for about three hours.
Horry County Fire Rescue posted on its Facebook page that part of International Drive would be closed to traffic beginning at 7:20 p.m. Saturday as crews worked to contain the fire in the Carolina Forest area.
This story was originally published March 1, 2025 at 8:21 PM.
