CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, S.C. — A homeowner has been cited for allowing a prescribed burn to spread into a massive brush fire that covered more than 325 acres in Chesterfield County, officials from the South Carolina Forestry Commission said.
South Carolina Forestry Commission officials said the brush fire started as a 27-acre prescribed burn at a property off McQueen Road.
The homeowner was cited for allowing fire to spread to lands and was given a citation. Officials said the homeowner can pay the fine or go to court.
Multiple fire departments, including the South Carolina Forestry Commission, battled the fire that spread through an area of mature pine trees off Highway 1 and Teals Mill Road, near Patrick.
Officials said Saturday’s rain showers helped put out the wildfire.
Cheraw Fire Chief Marvin Murray said at one point the fire threatened 10 to 15 homes, and most of the residents evacuated for their safety, but those residents were able to return to their homes.
Officials did say that three structures and two boats were damaged.
Channel 9 learned a firefighter who was working with a bulldozer on a containment line was injured but has been released from the hospital.
Authorities told Channel 9 that someone was doing a controlled burn when it got out of control.
Pictures from Chopper 9 showed forestry workers using heavy equipment to cut fire lines around the blaze in an effort to control it.
They used eight bulldozers and a plane to direct them from the air.
“There will be some fires burning inside the line and that's to be expected,” Murray said. “We just want to make sure it doesn't cut off the fire line. In that case, we will bring more personnel back or have forestry draw new lines around it.”
The fire was just one of several burning across the Charlotte region Friday, causing smoke and hazy conditions in the city.
Officials said there were controlled burns in Chester and Cleveland counties and another in Charlotte's Steele Creek neighborhood.
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