SC forestry officials lift burning ban for counties across SC. What to know
The South Carolina Forestry Commission has lifted a burning ban in unincorporated areas in all counties across South Carolina.
The burning ban was officially lifted at 7 a.m. May 1. The forestry commission initially instituted a statewide burn ban on April 17, citing dry conditions and winds across SC that could present an “extreme fire danger.”
The commission lifted the burn ban for 12 counties on Wednesday, then 7 more on Thursday, before lifting it statewide on Friday morning.
The commission said in a news release that it believed “the combination of rain, elevated relative humidity, improved overnight recovery and a lack of significant wind in the forecast warrant removing all remaining counties” from outdoor burning restrictions.
“Many areas of the state have seen rainfall this week, and higher relative humidity and fuel moisture continue to mitigate significant fire potential,” SC Fire Commission Fire Chief Darryl Jones said in the release. “Though we expect even more rain across more of the state in the next week, people who choose to burn outdoors should still exercise vigilance as the rain we have received has not changed the state’s drought status.”
Residents who conduct outdoor burning of residential yard debris or prescribed burns must still notify the forestry commission before doing so.
