Latest information from the South Carolina Forestry Commission, while there are some areas that will still remain under a burn ban most counties will have the burn ban lifted.
Greenville, Horry, Oconee, Pickens, Spartanburg counties to remain under ban
COLUMBIA—The State Forester’s Burning Ban
will be lifted for all but five South Carolina counties
at 6 a.m. Monday, March 31.
Greenville, Horry, Oconee, Pickens and Spartanburg
counties will remain under the burning ban until
further notice.
The Forestry Commission is lifting the ban in the
other 41 counties because the dangerous
combination of low relative humidities and gusty
winds that prompted the March 21 outdoor burning
prohibition has improved and is expected to ease
significantly across the state over the next week.
The ban is being left in place in the remaining
counties for several reasons. The sheer amount of
Forestry Commission and fire department personnel/equipment dedicated to the Table Rock Complex in
Greenville and Pickens counties, which includes two wildfires that have grown to a combined 13,000 plus acres, has potential to strain the capacity of local response to new wildfire ignitions.
The ban in Horry County remains in place while Forestry Commission resources continue to focus their
efforts on mop-up and strengthening firebreaks around the Myrtle Beach-area Covington Drive Fire,
which is now 85 percent contained.
“Burning bans are not intended to be extended, much less permanent, solutions to wildfires,” said SCFC
Fire Chief Darryl Jones. “Prescribed burns in particular are necessary tools for forestry and agriculture,
but we can’t emphasize enough the importance of using fire prudently and respecting the weather.”
Underlying conditions still warrant the need to be extremely vigilant when burning outdoors, as above average fire danger and activity is expected through April, which has historically seen the worst, most damaging and costly wildfires in South Carolina.
Anyone who burns outdoors and allows their fire(s) to escape will be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law.
Citizens who may plan to conduct outdoor burning of residential yard debris or prescribed burns must still notify the Forestry Commission before doing so.
Notification procedures as well as mandatory precautions for conducting burns may be found on the SCFC website: https://www.scfc.gov/protection/fire-burning/
