CONWAY, SOUTH CAROLINA, FIREFIGHTERS ARE HAVING one of their busiest days with two major fires in progress this afternoon.
Major Brush Fire Claiming Homes
A brush fire was first reported at noon today in a lightly populated area near Conway, but due to the dry and windy conditions it has spread rapidly. So far, one house has been consumed and at least 50 more are considered to be threatened.
Myrtle Beach Sun News photo
At 3:20 pm the fire had burned 150 acres and was 25% contained, according to Scott Hawkins, spokesman for the S.C. Forestry Commission. ”The fire is still spreading,” Hawkins said. “More homes are threatened, but no subdivisions are in the path, possibly individual structures.”
Thirty homes and several county buildings have been evacuated so far.
WMBF-TV is updating this story regularly HERE.
Landmark Restaurant Burns
Updated, 5:00 pm
Shortly before 3 1 pm this afternoon a fire broke out in the kitchen of the Sidewheeler Restaurant, a landmark eatery in Conway.
WMBF-TV image
The restaurant was open at the time and the first-arriving units found the building engulfed in flames. It is still ongoing and no further information is yet available. It is not known which FD responded to the call due to so many units tied up at the brush fire.
Update:
WBTW-TV Ch. 13 REPORTS:
Capt. Jeremy Carter with the Conway Fire Department tells News13 some 50 firefighters were at the scene and it took about two hours to get the fire under control.
Carter says the windy conditions made the fighting the fire difficult. He says the fire destroyed roughly 90 percent of the restaurant. He also says it will take a while to determine how the fire started.
No injuries were reported.
