’You can and will go to jail,’ Gov. McMaster says of starting outdoor fires as statewide burn ban issued

COLUMBIA, S.C. (WCBD) – A statewide burning ban is active until further notice as wildfires burn across the state.

The South Carolina Forestry Commission issued the ban Saturday evening for all counties.

Firefighters were busy battling multiple brush and wildfires that burned across the Lowcountry and in three Pee Dee; several prompting evacuations such as in the Prince George community of Pawleys Island and in Myrtle Beach’s Carolina Forest area.

The ban prohibits all outdoor burning, including yard debris burning, prescribed burning and campfires in all unincorporated areas of the state.

“Very low relative humidities statewide, coupled with drying fuels resulting from the lack of significant rain, have resulted in 102 wildfire ignitions today alone. Much-higher-than-forecasted winds have led to these fires spreading rapidly and growing larger,” explained state forestry officials.

“A statewide burning ban is now in effect due to dangerous wildfire conditions. That means you can and will go to jail for starting a fire outdoors in South Carolina. Period,” warned Governor Henry McMaster. 

Locally, fires burned in throughout portions of Berkeley, Charleston, and Dorchester Counties. A stretch of Halfway Creek Road was shut down in the Francis Marion National Forest due to fires, and multiple agencies responded to a brush fire near Henry Brown Blvd.

Fires were also reported in Ridgeville and in North Santee.

The ban will stay in effect until further notice, which will come in the form of an official announcement from the Forestry Commission.