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South Carolina fire crews make progress battling wildfire that forced evacuations

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South Carolina fire crews make progress battling wildfire that forced evacuations


Crews on Sunday made progress containing a wildfire in South Carolina’s Carolina Forest, where residents had been ordered to evacuate several neighborhoods, according to Horry county fire rescue.

Video showed some people running down the street as smoke filled the sky. But by late Sunday afternoon, the fire department announced that evacuees of Carolina Forest – which is west of the coastal resort city of Myrtle Beach – could return home.

That wildfire was one of several burning in South Carolina, North Carolina, Georgia and Tennessee amid dry conditions and gusty winds.

The region had faced an increased fire danger because it was critically dry and there was very low relative humidity, according to the National Weather Service.

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More than 175 fires burned 6.6 sq miles (17sq km) in South Carolina. The state’s governor, Henry McMaster, declared a state of emergency on Sunday to support the wildfire response effort, and a statewide burning ban remained in effect.

The South Carolina forestry commission estimated on Sunday evening that the blaze in the Carolina Forest area had burned 2.5 sq miles (6.5sq km) with 30% of it contained. No structures had succumbed to the blaze, and no injuries had been reported as of Sunday morning, officials said.

In North Carolina, the US Forest Service said fire crews were working to contain multiple wildfires burning in four forests across the state on Sunday. The largest, about 400 acres (162 hectares), was at Uwharrie national forest, roughly 50 miles (80.47km) east of Charlotte. The Forest Service said on Sunday afternoon that it had made progress on the fire, reaching about one-third containment.

The small south-western town of Tryon in Polk county, North Carolina, urged some residents to evacuate on Saturday as a fire spread rapidly there. The evacuations remained in effect on Sunday. A decision on whether to lift them was expected to be made on Monday after intentional burns are set to try to stop the fire from spreading.

That fire has burned about 500 acres (202 hectares) as of late Sunday, with zero percent containment, according to the Polk county emergency management-fire marshal’s office. The North Carolina Forest Service was conducting water drops and back-burning operations on the ground, and area residents should expect a lot of smoke during those operations, officials said.

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Officials have not said what caused any of the fires.

Meanwhile, in Georgia, at least six active fires burned late on Sunday, with nearly 3,700 acres burned over the previous week, a summary from the state forestry commission said.

And four small active wildfires burned on Sunday in Tennessee, the state’s agriculture department said, though all were controlled by early Monday. Those blazes were among 81 wildfires that had burned about 822 acres statewide over the previous week, the Tennessee agriculture department added.



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South-Carolina

SC measles outbreak remains stalled with no new cases reported

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SC measles outbreak remains stalled with no new cases reported


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Not long ago, it appeared almost certain that the measles outbreak centered in Spartanburg would surpass 1,000 cases.

Now that case total may be unlikely.

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On March 27, DPH reported no new infections. The total number of cases remains at 997, where it has stood since March 17, when DPH reported one new infection.

There is currently one person in quarantine, according to the March 27 DPH update.

The measles outbreak began in October and grew somewhat slowly until the Christmas holidays. In January, the number of cases exploded—from 185 on Jan. 2 to 847 on Jan. 30.

In a March 25 media briefing, state epidemiologist Linda Bell was asked about the declining number of cases.

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She credited an uptick in vaccinations in January and February, as well as DPH efforts to identify cases quickly and quarantine people who were infected or exposed.

If no new infections occur, DPH officials said the outbreak could be declared ended on April 26.

DPH officials explained that it takes 42 days with no new infections, “to declare an end to a measles outbreak. This is double the number of days for an incubation period (21 days) and a clear indicator of a broken transmission chain.”

Bell said DPH is asking school nurses and physicians’ offices to report any possible measles symptoms.

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She added that health officials are keeping an eye on spring break — April 6-10 for public schools in Spartanburg County — as families might travel for vacation or to visit family members. People lacking immunity could be at risk.

“We remain vigilant,” Bell said, stressing that the two-dose MMR vaccine is the most effective protection against the spread of measles.



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NFL Draft Injury Analysis: Jalon Kilgore, S – South Carolina

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NFL Draft Injury Analysis: Jalon Kilgore, S – South Carolina


The Lions may be looking for a safety within the first two rounds due to injuries to Kerby Joseph and Brian Branch. That’s where Jalon Kilgore may come in. He has some minor injuries, but appears to be a relatively low-risk prospect for a team that needs to add health to that room.

Here is the excerpt of my medical report on Jalon Kilgore:

Jalon Kilgore, S (21) – South Carolina

Projected round 2-3.

Concern level 2/10

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While his availability has been excellent, Kilgore has a history of hamstring strains in 2025 and 2023. If his 2024 injury is found to be also a hamstring, then happenstance becomes a disturbing trend.

With fast-twitch athletes, hamstrings are going to be very common, and generally don’t present any long-term issues. The difficult trick will be to determine if a certain player is more prone to hamstrings.

What helps Kilgore a lot is his young age.

For more Lions coverage, follow us on X, @TheLionsWire, and give our Facebook page a likeFollow Jimmy on X, @JimmyLiaoMD



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Motorcyclist critically injured in Longs area crash

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Motorcyclist critically injured in Longs area crash


One person was critically injured in a motorcycle crash in the Longs area on Thursday afternoon, according to Horry County Fire Rescue (HCFR).

Just before 2:00 p.m., crews responded to the area of Old Highway 31 near Hidden River Road.

MORE: 1 critically injured in vehicle rollover near International Dr.

One person was transported to the hospital as a result of the motorcycle crash, HCFR said.

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Officials ask that drivers avoid the area as lanes of traffic are currently blocked.

The incident is under investigation by the South Carolina Highway Patrol with assistance from the Horry County Police Department.



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