See photos: SC fire crews battle 100-acre wildfire outside Conway. Nearby homes evacuated.
Fire crews battled an estimated 100-acre fire outside Conway Thursday, causing homes to be evacuated.
As of 8 a.m. Friday, the fire has been contained with all previous threatened structures protected with plow lines around them, according to Horry County Fire Rescue. Crews will remain on the scene and residents will continue to see smoke and possible flames from spot fires throughout the day, fire rescue said.
Northeastern South Carolina was placed on a fire danger Thursday, and Horry County issued a burn ban until further notice. Dry and windy conditions have caused several wildfires over the last several days.
Thursday’s fire started as a 3-acre blaze that grew exponentially in several hours, according to Horry County Fire Rescue.
Horry County Fire Rescue worked to control two fires since about 12:30 p.m. Thursday, according to social media posts from the agency. There is a 20-acre fire near Linhurst Road and S.C. 746 in Loris and a 100-acre fire along Dirty Branch Road in Conway.
Several residents were asked to evacuate although there is no threat to nearby residences, Horry County Fire Rescue said.
It’s unclear what started either fire. The Loris fire is not threatening structures.
The National Weather Service put Horry County under a fire danger statement until 8 p.m. on Thursday. This means conditions are favorable for uncontrollable fires but not severe enough to issue a watch or warning, said Mark Bacon, a National Weather Service meteorologist.
“These conditions can lead to erratic fire behavior, where fires tend to run and get out of control,” Bacon said.
Gusty winds and low humidity led to the fire danger statement, according to Bacon. There’s a chance of showers in the evening, which will end the threat of fire, but conditions could worsen again Saturday.
As a result of the fire danger statement, Conway, unincorporated Horry County and Georgetown County are under a burn ban, according to social media posts and public information officer June Wood. Georgetown and Horry counties banned all fires while Conway banned yard, ditch, field fires and bonfires. Fire pits, chimineas and portable fireplaces are allowed in Conway.
Earlier this week there was a 5-acre fire along the 1000 block of Star Bluff Road in the Longs community area.
The South Carolina Department of Natural Resources also is performing controlled burns along International Drive, which has closed the road, The Sun News reported.
This story was originally published February 27, 2025 at 4:26 PM.
