A Myrtle Beach area resident faces charges as police say she started a blaze in her fire pit that led to the more than 2,000-acre Carolina Forest wildfire.
Alexandra Bialousow, 40, was arrested Thursday on two charges related to the escape of a residential yard debris burn that ignited the blaze near Myrtle Beach, the South Carolina Forestry Commission said.
She is accused of not taking the proper precautions to prevent her debris burn from escaping and negligently allowing fire to spread to “lands of another.”
“Witnesses reported seeing Bialousow intentionally start a fire in a backyard fire pit that was in close proximity to a tree line within Covington Lakes Subdivision on March 1,” the commission wrote. “According to the arrest warrant, the suspect ‘did not have an appropriate water source readily available,’ nor did she ‘have any garden tools on hand to control the fire, thus allowing the fire to spread to land owned by Walker Woods HOA. This incident was witnessed by several neighbors.’”
Fueled by dry conditions and windy weather, the Carolina Forest fire — also known as the Covington Drive fire — spread over 2,059 acres and is now 55 percent contained.
The commission said crews did not see any fire growth between Thursday and Friday, and that National Guard helicopters would be working to conduct targeted water drops. A team from the Florida Forest Service is also helping to suppress the fire.
The wildfire forced weekend evacuations in neighborhoods around Horry County, South Carolina, and sent thick smoke into the air that impacted visibility on roads.
“Friday morning, thick smoke is present in the Carolina Forest area, due to the nearby Covington Drive fire. Smoke will continue to linger in some capacity through the duration of this incident,” Horry County Fire Rescue said in a Facebook post
No injuries have been reported and no structures have been lost, though some were damaged, according to myhorrynews.com.
A burn ban remains in effect for the county, and the outlet reported that at least five people have been cited for burning during the ban.
