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DOZENS OF HOMES DESTROYED, GOVERNOR DECLARES STATE OF EMERGENCY
Gov. Mark Sanford has declared a State of Emergency for Horry County as wildfires have consumed more than 15,000 acres of land and destroyed dozens of homes in North Myrtle Beach.
“This has already proved to be a devastating event for Horry County, and it isn’t over,” Sanford said Thursday. “This fire is continuing to spread, and it’s incredibly important that people near the affected area pay close attention to emergency announcements and news outlets about developments with this disaster.”
The Myrtle Beach Sun News reports that 69 homes have been destroyed and another 100 have been damaged. Most of those homes that were in the Barefoot Resort area.
Despite the best efforts of firefighters, it appears the blaze is far from over.
”It’s a big fire and it may get worse before it gets better,” Scott Hawkins of the Forestry Commission told the Sun News.
State and local officials have already evacuated 2,500 people from their homes, and may evacuate more as the fire continues to spread. Officials have set up three shelters to accommodate those leaving their homes, and those shelters are currently housing approximately 250 people.
The state Forestry Commission is the primary agency in charge of fighting the fire, and the state Emergency Management Division has also deployed support assets to the scene in consultation with the Governor’s Office. The state Emergency Operations Center has been activated, with assets dispatched to fight the fire including a National Guard helicopter and other personnel.
Photo: Baltimore Sun
Sanford wants to cut money for wildfire fighting
COLUMBIA, SC (AP) – Gov. Mark Sanford is not backing down from his proposal to trim $1 million in state spending from wildfire fighting, even as damages mount in a fire near Myrtle Beach.
Sanford spokesman Joel Sawyer said Friday that a fee on homeowners’ insurance policies for firefighter training is working and an additional fee would work for forest fire protection, too.
But one of Sanford’s top allies is backing away from plans to cut money for wildfire fighting.
Sen. Tom Davis of Beaufort said Friday he’s dropping the cuts from a spending plan he’s been trying to win support for this week.
The Forestry Commission has suffered with other agencies in state budget cuts. It has lost a fifth of its budget in the past year. The agency warned in an August letter that the cuts were putting property and firefighters at risk.
http://www.ksla.com/Global/story.asp?S=10243805&nav=menu50_2_1
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