HORRY COUNTY, S.C. (WMBF/Gray News) – Authorities have charged a woman with starting a massive Carolina Forest wildfire.
The South Carolina Forestry Commission booked 40-year-old Alexandra Bialousow into jail Thursday for negligently allowing fire to spread to lands of another and regulation of fires on certain lands chapter violation charges.
Bialousow allegedly started a fire to burn debris last Saturday in a backyard fire pit close to a tree line in the Covington Lakes community that ended up spreading.
The South Carolina Forestry Commission said Bialousow “did not have an appropriate water source readily available or “any garden tools on hand to control the fire.”
Authorities said Bialousow’s lack of resources led the fire to spread to land owned by Walker Woods HOA.
The forestry commission said that Horry County and the state of South Carolina were also under a burn ban.
The Carolina Forest wildfire spread to over 2,000 acres, with first responders fighting the blaze for several days.
The fire also led to scary evacuations of around seven Carolina Forest neighborhoods.
If convicted, Bialousow could face up to 60 days in prison and a $400 fine.
South Carolina District 56 State Rep. Tim McGinnis said that in light of the fire, he will be proposing stricter penalties for burning debris.
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