KERSHAW COUNTY, S.C. — Fire officials are urging residents to keep a close watch on their yard debris burns after an unattended fire nearly became a much bigger issue in Kershaw County on Sunday.
The Lugoff Fire Department said that an off-duty firefighter noticed a potential fire in the Wildwood Lane and Reclamation Road area around 3:30 p.m. The firefighter notified emergency dispatch, and multiple battalions arrived at a brush and wood fire threatening a structure. Authorities soon asked the Kershaw County Fire Service and South Carolina Forestry Commission to help contain the fire.
Together, fire crews prevented the fire from growing more than a tenth of an acre. They also stopped the flames from damaging any nearby structures.
An investigation found that the incident began as an unattended outdoor fire. Lugoff Fire said that state law requires that control burns of yard debris be attended to at all times and have a means to control them, such as water. Anyone in Kershaw County with plans to burn must also contact the South Carolina Forestry Commission at 1-800-705-8609.
