Roofing company in Georgetown, SC

GEORGETOWN — A Hemingway man was arrested this month after state authorities say he intentionally started three fires in Georgetown County.

Windell McDaniel, 63, is accused of using an "improvised incendiary device" to deliberately start the March 1 fires on Deep Creek Drive, the S.C. Forestry Commission stated in a news release.

Deep Creek Drive connects S.C. Highway 261 to Barnhill Road. It's about six miles southeast of downtown Hemingway.

After responding to a call for a woods fire, an officer with the forestry commission found a soft drink bottle near one of the fires, according to the commission's release. The bottle contained what appeared to be kerosene and a rag that also smelled of kerosene.

Camera footage found during the investigation revealed that a truck registered to McDaniel was in the area around the time the fires started, the release stated. SCFC investigators interviewed McDaniel and arrested him on three counts of arson.

The fires were set while the county was under a burning ban for dangerous fire conditions, but these three blazes didn't cause any property damage, said Justin Holt, public information coordinator for the forestry commission.

Information about a possible motive for the arson can't be released at this time, Holt said.

The fires aren’t related to a blaze that erupted near the Prince George neighborhood on March 1, according to the forestry commission. That fire grew to 130 acres and prompted officials to evacuate residents from the beach side of the Prince George community and those who live in properties east of the traffic circle on Vanderbilt Boulevard.

All the fires in Georgetown County have been contained, and the burn ban was lifted on March 9.

Horry County remains under a ban as crews continue trying to contain a 2,059-acre wildfire in Carolina Forest.

On March 6, Alexandra Bialousow, 40, was arrested on two misdemeanor charges related to the Carolina Forest fire, according to the forestry commission.

Authorities say she was burning backyard debris when she negligently allowed the blaze to spread to others' land. She is accused of failing to take proper precautions to prevent the burn from escaping.

Three others have been cited for violating the burn ban in Horry County and another has been arrested.

McDaniel was booked into the Georgetown County Detention Center March 3 and released the following day, according to online jail records. Each charge carries a maximum fine of $5,000 or up to five years in prison upon conviction.

Over 100 African Americans over 200 years have been featured in the traveling exhibit since 2023, Ferraro said. The exhibit has reached 21 different hosting sites. Currently, the exhibit may be seen in Georgetown, Chicago, and Maryland to name a few.

Recognized Friday were Oscar Dishman, Harry Lewis, Johnny Collins, Ansel Williamson, Everette Bass, Terry Thomas, Manilus Neal, Zach Wilson, Duane Raglin, Willard and Dillard Bledsoe, and more.

“The significance (of the exhibit) is hard to put into words,” Ferraro said. “Folks earlier said there was a dominance of Black horsemen. That is absolutely the case. Depending on where you lived in years before and after the Civil War and really, early into the early 1900s … five-to-15 percent of the population winning 40 to 50 percent of the time, that’s a dominance.

“To talk about the industry today, to talk about the directions the industry is heading, it’s impossible to have those conversations without talking about what has happened before and what is still happening today.”

Marilyn Dishman shared stories of her father, Oscar, a well-known trainer.

“Oscar Dishman Jr. was my father. He was born in 1923,” Marilyn said. “He was the son of a groomsman … and the grandson of a jockey back in slave days.

“… In 1961, Oscar was one of the few African American thoroughbred owners, trainers, in America. In his heyday in the 1970s, Dishman was training up to 35 horses at a time.”

Oscar traveled the country training horses, Marilyn said,

Raglin is a blacksmith who worked with Collins, something he said was challenging, but the work has taken him all over the world.

“The importance of (the exhibit is) to display and honor previous horsemen … and let it be known that it is something that doesn’t need to die off and needs to be passed down,” Raglin said. “The history of it is very significant. It means more moving forward to know the history before you can move forward to the future.”

MYRTLE BEACH — Heavy smoke lingered over Carolina Forest as firefighters continued working March 3 to contain a weekend wildfire that carried over into the work week in the busy suburb between Myrtle Beach and Conway.

The 2,059-acre fire, which has been burning since March 1, was about 30 percent contained, according to the estimate from the S.C. Forestry Commission. Officials said favorable weather conditions and containment efforts allowed them to lift an evacuation order on March 2, but they cautioned that the thick smoke could blanket the area for several days.

"It is still smoldering in spots, still putting up smoke, the crews are still working out there battling," Horry County spokesman Thomas Bell said, adding that firefighters were stationed around affected neighborhoods to address any flare-ups. "(We are) certainly in a better position than we were 24 hours ago. ... But folks will continue to see smoke, most likely for a long while."

The reason the smoke will continue to hang around is because a high-pressure system is keeping it from being dispersed, National Weather Service meteorologist Victoria Oliva said.

She said the smoke could be heavy again early March 4.

"Folks with asthma or any kind of respiratory issues, definitely limit outdoor time in … or travel away from smoky areas," Oliva said. “Everyone else, probably the same thing. Don't spend a lot of time outside when there’s smoke... And be careful when driving because visibility could drop to near zero.”

Overnight wind could shift smoke more inland, she said.

"The smoke, I believe, was blowing east towards the beach," the morning of March 3, Oliva said. "It's actually going to blow in the other direction overnight."

That means the areas with worse smoke coverage could be to the west March 4,

"So, just use caution in the general vicinity," Oliva said.

The smoke has been irritating some residents who weren't expecting it to be so prevalent outside of Carolina Forest.

"(My family and I) woke up around 3 a.m. because it was super bad," said Johann Thorne of Socastee. "It literally smelled like our house was on fire."

Thorne said his 6:30 a.m. drive to work in Conway was similarly unpleasant "because of how thick the smoke was in certain areas," he said. "I couldn’t see more than 5 cars in front of me (at times)."

What are the health dangers of exposure to wildfire smoke?

When he checked with the staff at Conway Medical Center the morning of March 3, Dr. Paul Richardson expected the hospital to have multiple patients affected by wildfire smoke.

He was pleased to learn there weren't any.

"That's been a real blessing," he said. "And frankly, I'm quite surprised."

Richardson, CMC's chief medical officer, has been particularly worried about people with lung conditions or breathing problems such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), asthma and emphysema.

All of Horry County was placed under an air quality alert from the S.C. Department of Environmental Services the morning of March 3, but Richardson said people with those health challenges who live in neighborhoods closest to the fire face the greatest risk.

He suggested those residents avoid being home until the smoke clears. If that's not any option, he said they should call their doctors to make sure their treatment is sufficient for this smoky environment.

"It all has to do with exposure," he said. "If you can avoid it, avoid it."

Richardson said healthy people don't face the same level of risk, but anyone should see a doctor if they have a persistent cough, shortness of breath, tightness in the chest or wheezing.

Richardson pointed out that the location of the fire is also troubling.

"Those neighborhoods out there that are really being directly impacted, I know there's younger people there, too, but there's a fair number of retirees who are elderly," he said. "And so you always have to worry about older patients with chronic medical conditions, chronic lung conditions. These are the kinds of things that give me as an internal medical physician some concern."

Planes, helicopters and bulldozers used to battle wildfire

Planes and helicopters continued to douse the wildfire as firefighting crews sought to contain the blaze.

The fire was not threatening any homes late in the afternoon, but state and local officials stressed that the situation could change quickly.

"With the wind, ... we are seeing flare-ups still in certain spots," Bell said. "Certainly not done with this incident, probably nowhere near done at the moment."

But officials stressed that containment efforts, including using bulldozers to dig trenches around the fire, had limited its growth.

The first 911 call about the fire arrived just after 2:30 p.m. March 1, officials said. The report was for a fire behind a Carolina Forest house.

Although the cause has not been identified, officials said it initially began moving behind the neighborhoods west of Carolina Forest Boulevard toward S.C. Highway 90 and International Drive. But shifting winds overnight sent the flames back toward neighborhoods, threatening houses into early March 2.

Despite its size, the fire had not destroyed any homes or businesses, officials said. County crews conducted an initial assessment of homes on March 3 but found no major damage — just charred fences and porches, and some melted siding, Bell said.

By the afternoon, fire crews were focused on two fronts.

"It kind of split," Bell said. "So you do have a side that's kind of burning closer International Drive and you have the side that's still smoldering towards those communities off Carolina Forest Boulevard."

Russell Hubright of the state Forestry Commission said about 12 bulldozers from the agency had been digging trenches outside the fire to prevent it from spreading. But he said that work had been hampered by soft ground.

"It's been a challenge," he said. "Even though there might be fire burning, (a dozer will still) sink down in the mud and it'll get stuck."

Along with bulldozers, two planes pulled water from the Winyah Bay — an estuary with brackish water — and dropped the mixture of fresh and salt water on hot spots.

"They're pretty effective," Hubright said of the planes. "Eight hundred gallons at a time, and those guys can move out pretty good."

In addition to the planes, the S.C. Air National Guard provided two Black Hawk helicopters to dump water on the fire for two days. The Guard added a tandem-rotor Chinook helicopter to the response on March 3.

While officials felt confident about their strategy to fight the fire, they hoped for some natural assistance.

"The smoke will be around until we get a good soaking rain," Hubright said. "Some rain is going to move through on Wednesday, but I'm not sure it's going to hang around long enough."

Emergency shelter closes, schools operating on normal schedule

During the worst of the fire, officials evacuated parts of eight neighborhoods and opened an emergency shelter at the Carolina Forest Recreation Center. Even after the evacuation order was lifted March 2, 18 residents stayed at the shelter overnight primarily because of the smoke.

By mid-morning March 3, the shelter had closed. Anyone who needs assistance is asked to contact the American Red Cross at 843-477-0020.

Carolina Forest's public schools operated normally March 3, though Horry County Schools officials said they would work with any families impacted by the fire.

"We are committed to being flexible and working with each individual on a case-by-case basis," the district said in a statement. "If you or your family are experiencing challenges due to the fires, we encourage you to reach out to your school to discuss your specific circumstances and needs."

Some parents on social media criticized the district's decision to remain open. They said the district shouldn't have allowed students to return with so much smoke in the area and the fire still burning.

District spokeswoman Lisa Bourcier said all schools in Carolina Forest shut off their outside air units the night of March 2 to keep smoky air from circulating in the buildings. They did the same thing after the winds shifted the morning of March 3.

Additionally, she said all schools have filtration technology that "safely creates and releases ions into the airstream using our existing HVAC system as the delivery method."

"The units safely filter particles including smoke, pollutants, dust, dander, pollen, pathogens such as mold, viruses, and bacteria," she said.

Carolina Forest schools will continue monitoring the health of students, Bourcier said.

"The smoke is affecting people, including students, especially if they have compromised health issues," she said. "Of course, the school nurses are there to evaluate student health issues and if children are ill, they will be sent home. Staff has been visiting the affected schools throughout the day to monitor the situation."

Burn ban remains in place

A burn ban remains in place across South Carolina.

According to the State Fire Marshal, fire crews responded to more than 175 wildfires across S.C. over the weekend. These fires burned some 4,200 acres, mostly in Horry, Spartanburg, Oconee, Union and Pickens counties primarily due to dry, windy conditions. Additionally, fires were reported in the Lowcountry, including in Beaufort and Charleston counties, as well as in the Midlands around Columbia.

Areas around Charleston remained at elevated risk for wildfires on March 3, according to a daily index from the S.C. Forestry Commission.

Gov. Henry McMaster, who declared a state of emergency for the wildfires, said there are no concerns about the status of federal resources. So far, he said the National Guard had been the only federal resources dispatched to the Carolina Forest wildfire.

To aid in the response, McMaster said officials temporarily eliminated load limits on bridges and took other steps that allowed them to dispatch resources quickly.

"When you eliminate little stopgaps, you can really get the job done," he said.

Nick Reynolds contributed to this report.