Overview
- Forestry officials say a very dry air mass Thursday will drop relative humidity into the low 20s with sustained winds of 10–12 mph and gusts near 20 mph, increasing the chance that small ignitions spread quickly.
- No red flag warning or statewide burn ban is in effect, yet agencies ask residents to postpone outdoor burning, with humidity expected to recover after Thursday and temperatures cooling Friday.
- Fire managers caution that a burn ban could be implemented if the dry pattern lingers or if new fires begin to strain resources across the state.
- For anyone who still plans to burn, officials advise keeping a water source close, maintaining distance from structures, and notifying the South Carolina Forestry Commission beforehand.
- Recent experience underscores the risk: the 2,059-acre Carolina Forest fire that began March 1 took 95 days to reach full containment, threatening thousands of structures even without major damage reported.