Carolina Forest wildfire leaves homes with smoke damage. Will FEMA, SC help with repairs?
Walking into Joyce O’Connor’s home on Wednesday afternoon, the haze of wildfire smoke was cleared out — but not the smell.
The Covington Drive Wildfire, which was 2,059 acres and 44% contained on Thursday morning, came dangerously close to her Walkers Woods home, melting the siding on the back of her house. Along with the outside disfigurement, her vents and HVAC system sustained damage.
“I have, you know, smoke and soot damage,” O’Connor said. “There’s a lot more than meets the eye, it’s not just some melted siding,”
As of Thursday morning, it’s unclear if there will be any government assistance to help those with damage caused by the wildfires and smoke.
Since FEMA was not called in for the wildfires, there will be no FEMA aid available for Horry County residents, said Tiffanie Barrett with the South Carolina Emergency Management Division.
When asked if the South Carolina Emergency Management Division will assist fire-damaged homes, Barrett said she did not know yet.
“All of this is still ongoing. Conversations (about assistance) are being had behind the scenes, but I don’t know what they would be at this point,” Barrett said.
Via text, Mikayla Moskov with Horry County directed The Sun News to speak with the South Carolina Emergency Management Division about FEMA aid. She did not respond when asked if Horry County would provide aid before publication.
Logan McGowan, the general manager for Paul Davis Restoration, has not heard if there will be any government assistance. The restoration company has been helping smoke-damaged homes’ owners navigate insurance claims.
“It’s hard with the smoke and fire loss. Without visual damage, it’s hard to determine costs,” McGowan said.
A wildfire broke out in the Carolina Forest area on Saturday, creeping dangerously close to houses, searing people’s homes, and charring their backyards. The fire raged for several days, with planes and helicopters dropping thousands of gallons of water and hundreds of firefighters working to control the fire.
As of Thursday morning, the Covington Drive Wildfire has reduced “smoldering” with little to no fire activity, said Russell Hubright with the South Carolina Fire Commission.
Thick clouds of smoke infiltrated Carolina Forest houses over the weekend, damaging the buildings with smoke and soot. Since the fires have calmed down, homeowners want to repair the damage and eliminate the lingering odor. The smoke has also caused headaches, sore throats, and exasperated residents’ asthma, multiple people said.
Residents cannot air out their homes by opening windows or doors, as smoke is still outside. Belfor Property Restoration brought in a large air purifier to O’Connor’s house on Tuesday, which helped with the smell, she said.
Several homeowners said insurance would help with the havoc wreaked by smoke. O’Connor and Debra Smith said they’ve been in contact with their insurance companies about repairs.
“I don’t see how you can get (the smell) out on your own,” Smith said.
