Wildfire danger grows prompting Red Flag Fire Alert from SC officials

The South Carolina Forestry Commission issued a statewide Red Flag Fire Alert effective 7 a.m. Friday.

More than 50 active fires were reported in SC on Thursday, the commission said in a news release Thursday night.

“Today was one of the busiest fire days we’ve seen in a while,” said Darryl Jones, SCFC Fire Chief.

The Red Flag Fire Alert is not a ban. Rather, it is intended to urge caution and discourage outdoor burning because conditions this weekend - high winds, low humidity and lots of dry dead brush to fuel a fire - will combine to create an “elevated potential for fire danger,” Jones said. The statewide alert, however, may trigger more restrictive policies at the local level, Jones said.

At the same time, Lexington authorities are hoping the public can help bring an end of a rash of suspicious brush fires that have been set in recent days. All have occurred in the Red Bank area of the county.

The SCFC will lift the statewide alert when conditions allow it, he said.

This story was originally published March 9, 2017 at 11:16 PM with the headline "Wildfire danger grows prompting Red Flag Fire Alert from SC officials."