Colleton County officials urge residents to follow outdoor burn ban

COLLETON COUNTY, S.C. (WCBD) – Firefighters in Colleton County are asking people to follow the statewide burn ban as they work to combat multiple outdoor fires this week.

Officials with Colleton County Fire Rescue said crews responded to three different properties in just two days where someone was burning something outside, and the fire got away from them.

“We’ve had several fires recently. Especially since the burn ban went into effect last Friday,” said Capt. KC Campbell with Colleton County Fire Rescue. “Right now, the conditions are just perfect for it. Low humidity, gusty winds, it’s just a perfect storm for good fire weather.”

Capt. Campbell said two fires got out of burn barrels and caused significant property damage.

“One individual lost two sheds and two cars. Another one burned up their neighbor’s fence and damaged two power poles and both service lines to the house. So now we have not only a fire to deal with, but we have live powerlines down, so it was just an absolute mess,” he said.

Crews also responded to a small woods fire on Thursday morning.

“Same thing- burn barrel got out. Luckily, it didn’t cause any property damage other than just the vicinity of the burn barrels, so that’s really good. Because, again, that fire is your ultimate responsibility,” he explained.

Governor Henry McMaster released a statement about his burn ban. “I urge everyone to use common sense and understand that you can and will go to jail for starting a fire,” he said.

“We’re not trying to get anybody in trouble. It’s more of an education thing. We want people to be safe because we don’t want the property damage. We don’t want what’s going on in Pickens County or what recently happened in Horry County. That’s not what we want here,” said Capt. Campbell.