SC under statewide burn ban due to ‘extreme fire danger’
A statewide burn ban is in effect, as of 7 a.m. Friday, due to an increased risk of wildfire through the weekend, the South Carolina Forestry Commission announced.
The State Forester’s burning ban prohibits all outdoor burning, including yard debris burning, prescribed burning, campfires, bonfires and other recreational fires in all unincorporated areas of the state.
Residents who live within town or city limits should check with their local authorities for current burn warnings or bans, the Forestry Commission said.
The Forestry Commission said in a statement that it issued the ban due to a combination of “rapidly escalating” drought conditions — much of the state is experiencing moderate to severe drought, according to the National Weather Service — a decrease in relative humidities and gusty winds that are expected to create “extreme fire danger.”
“When it’s this dry,” Forestry Commission Fire Chief Darryl Jones said in a statement, “we’re just as likely, if not more, to see wildfires that are fuel-driven rather than wind-driven. Add the other volatile conditions of increased wind and lower relative humidity, and it becomes an especially precarious situation.”
Anyone who violates the burn ban risks a fine of up to $200 for a first offense and at least $500 for any additional offenses.
While the ban issued Friday does not apply to all outdoor burning — fires used for the preparation of food or confined to portable outdoor fireplaces, chimineas or permanent fire pits are exempt from the ban — the Forestry Commission urged anyone burning under those exemptions to proceed with caution.
The commission said the ban would remain in effect until further notice.