‘It’s terrifying.’ Carolina Forest residents face wall of fire as crews try to save homes
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South Carolina Wildfires
Wildfires impacted more than 1,600 acres in the Myrtle Beach area, with flames burning within a few feet of homes in communities close to Carolina Forest.
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Carolina Forest residents awoke Sunday morning to thick smoke in the air and white ash raining down like snow.
At 4:40 a.m. Horry County Police banged on Katelyn Safa’s door as a towering wall of fire blazed just feet from her home on Wayandot Court near Myrtle Beach.
Her husband, Sam Safa, pulls up a dramatic video on his phone showing how the wildfire raged in the woods where the family’s home sits in a cul de sac.
“That’s what we woke up to,” Katelyn Safa said. “It’s terrifying.”
Driving into Walkers Woods, one of the neighborhoods evacuated Saturday, the ground leading to the roadway was black and smoldering — showing just how close the fire came to homes before firefighters were able to douse it.
Additional neighborhoods in the Carolina Forest area are being evacuated Sunday as wildfires continue to burn across the Myrtle Beach area.
It is unclear how big the Carolina Forest fire is. However, at least 1,500 acres were reported actively burning along Covington and Blackthorn drives, according to the South Carolina Forestry Commission at 5:15 a.m. Sunday.
As of this time, no structures have succumbed to the wildfire, and no injuries are reported, according to Horry County Fire Rescue on its Facebook page.
Firefighters from several departments in Horry County, as well as Horry County Police and other agencies, have spent most of the weekend running from fire to fire trying to save residents’ homes. The sound of sirens could be heard all along Carolina Forest Boulevard and fire engines with lights flashing race down highways.
Volunteers have set up places to provide food, water and places to rest for rescue crews.
Seven different neighborhoods in Carolina Forest have been evacuated as fires burn more than 1,200 acres.
The Safa family now has a to-go bag packed in case they need to evacuate.
Sam Safa heard his wife, Katelyn, scream outside about 2:30 p.m. Saturday. “I thought she was being dramatic,” he said.
But he ran to the drive and saw the fire.
The couple’s home was spared any damage. However, other neighborhood homes had burnt siding and ashes and soot on their front lawns and porches.
Carol Albano, who lives across the street, said she was awaken by her dogs’ barking. Then she saw flames shooting up over the forest, she said.
This was the second time she was evacuated from her home. Her family is now staying in a hotel.
Residents of Tuckahoe Road and Wyandot Court were allowed to return home about 7:30 p.m. Saturday. However, residents again were evacuated several hours later after the blaze threatened homes.
Sam Safa continued to use a garden hose to spray the woods about 8 a.m. Sunday as smoke billowed into the air.
“We’re doing the best we can,” Katelyn Safa said.
People coming to fires to help
In the Spring Lake community, where part of the neighborhood has been evacuated, residents are on edge but trying to remain calm. Most continued to do everyday tasks: walking dogs, making breakfast at home while also checking in with the firefighters stationed in the culs de sac.
Despite the threat of evacuation, families are coming and staying in Carolina Forest to help. Bryson Jones and Camille Gwyn came to the Myrtle Beach area from Rutherford County, North Carolina to visit Jones’s grandmother.
“It was supposed to be a fun and relaxing weekend,” Gwyn said while she and Jones walked their two dogs.
Now they’re helping Jones’s grandmother, Annette Byrd, prepare for an evacuation. While Byrd hasn’t been ordered to leave, the possibility hangs in the air with the smoke. She packed her bag Saturday and then re-packed it Sunday morning.
Gwyn and Jones said if they fires continue, they will stay longer and take time off work to make sure Byrd stays safe.
Cheyenne Nakamura, who lives in the south Myrtle Beach area, said she came to Spring Lake to stay with her father. Her mother is out of town for work so Nakamura is here in case something happens. The pair has bags packed and are ready to go if needed.
“It’s not safe,” Nakamura said.
This story was originally published March 2, 2025 at 11:50 AM.
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