Horry County Fire Rescue contains 3 fires during busy Fourth of July night

HORRY COUNTY, SC (WMBF) – Horry County Fire Rescue crews contained three separate fires totaling roughly 13 acres overnight and into early morning, capping a busy Fourth of July for firefighters across the county.

Silvercrest Drive

Horry County Fire Rescue responded to the first fire at 10:32 p.m. Saturday at Silvercrest Drive in the Carolina Forest community.

The grass fire, estimated at one acre, threatened nearby structures, but crews contained it and protected the structures.

Smoke may still linger in the area Sunday.

Sunny Heights Road

Shortly after, around 11:10 p.m., firefighters responded to Sunny Heights Road in the Longs community for a woods fire.

The slow-moving fire grew to roughly 10 acres. No structures were threatened. The South Carolina Forestry Commission assisted crews on scene.

People in the area will continue to see smoke and possible flare-ups for an extended period. The fire was contained around 1:15 a.m.

Hardwick Road

At 3:32 a.m., Horry County Fire Rescue responded to the 10000 block of Hardwick Road in Nichols for a brush fire estimated at two acres.

The fire threatened nearby structures, but crews announced at 6:05 a.m. that the fire was contained and all structures were protected. The South Carolina Forestry Commission also assisted at this scene.

People in the area may continue to see smoke and possible flare-ups. Crews will continue to monitor the area.

Fireworks and Drought

In addition to the fires, Horry County Fire Rescue said crews kept busy throughout the evening with multiple calls, including outside fires reportedly started by the discharging of fireworks.

Ahead of the holiday weekend, HCFR had advised the community to skip personal-use fireworks and leave holiday shows to the professionals, citing dangerous dry conditions across the county.

Nearly all of Horry County, 99.3%, is currently under an extreme drought, according to the latest U.S. Drought Monitor data. Our First Alert Weather team has more on the expanding drought conditions here.

It is unclear if any of the three fires above were caused by fireworks.

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