Myrtle Beach Wildfire Destroys Dozens of Resort Homes

Just weeks after a wildfire consumed more than forty buildings in Alton, N.H., another out of control blaze is raging in Horry County, S.C. The Myrtle Beach fire has already destroyed as many as 70 houses according to a report from CBC News. The Associated Press reports that the wildfires have spread to local Carolina peat bays. Peat is densely compacted organic material that was often used as fuel in pre-industrial times. It can sustain a wildfire for days or even weeks and can be extremely difficult to extinguish. Even without peat to fuel the Alton, N.H., fire, 11 fire companies had to be called to put the fire out in the face of steady spring winds. The Myrtle Beach fire is also being fanned by steady winds and is spreading. One AP report says more than 2500 people have been evacuated from their homes by local officials.

Wildfire Too Close to Home

While it is nearly inconceivable that a wildfire in New Hampshire where I live could spread as far, the April 12^th Alton, N.H. wildfire was just 15 miles away from my own house on a heavily forested mountainside in Strafford, N.H. When you hear about dozens of homes being burned to the ground that close, you can't help but consider the possibility of the worst happening. South Carolina wildfires of this magnitude are also fairly rare, but the local conditions and geography are, thus far, sustaining the spread of the wildfire through populated areas around North Myrtle Beach, S.C.

Weather Forecast for Myrtle Beach, S.C., Wildfire

While Myrtle Beach does not experience anything like the wildfire risk of California, it is also a popular resort destination famous for its beaches and warm, sunny weather. True to form, the weather.com forecast for Myrtle Beach shows no chance of any rain at all through the weekend. Winds during Thursday are predicted to remain above 10 miles per hour until well after dark when they should drop to five or six miles per hour.

Horry County Wildfire Map

The wildfire covered more than 5,000 acres before noon on Thursday and was expected to spread further throughout the day according to statements made by South Carolina governor Mark Sanford to the Myrtle Beach Sun News, a local newspaper that also quoted fire officials as saying that it would be days before the fire was fully extinguished. A map of the Myrtle Beach wildfire and surrounding areas can be found here and photos of the Myrtle Beach Fire can be viewed here, also courtesy of the Sun News.

Sources:

google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jOetEkD3L-lyG3yKvPFaCDZhS8vAD97O3FFO0

cbc.ca/world/story/2009/04/23/myrtle-beach-fire042309.html

thesunnews.com/news/

http://www.thesunnews.com/724/gallery/871131.html#http://media.thesunnews.com/smedia/2009/04/23/00/927-Firered01.standalone.prod_affiliate.78.jpg

thesunnews.com/news/local/story/872218.html

weather.com