Myrtle Beach Property Owners Add Wildfire to Hurricane Risk

They flock from other states to the coast known as the Grand Strand in Myrtle Beach, S.C., first as tourists, and later as residents, captivated by ocean views, rolling green fairways and the relaxed lifestyle. Most knew that an occasional hurricane was part of the bargain but didn’t expect a different danger – a raging wildfire like the one that destroyed 70 homes last month.

“I always said if we lose this house it will be a hurricane,” said 60-year-old Kathy Horvat, standing outside her home in the Barefoot Resort. “It never occurred to me, never, that there might be a fire like that which just went through.”

The fire devastated part of the resort, forcing thousands to flee and leaving damage which, in some ways, resembled the aftermath of a hurricane.

Myrtle Beach, studded with high rise hotels, amusements and shopping malls, is the heart of South Carolina’s $16 billion tourism industry. Once a relatively sleepy coastal resort, the Myrtle Beach area now attracts an estimated 13 million vacationers a year. High-rise hotels and condominiums stud the shore where 20 years ago mom-and-pop motels stood.

As development pushes inland from the coast, houses are going up farther west in wooded areas known as Carolina bays, which range in size from a few acres to thousands of acres. They are densely filled with plant life and often have boggy bottoms where peat, if it catches fire, can burn for days or weeks.

Peat in some bays fueled last month’s fire, officials said, and flames jumped into the subdivision near a six-lane highway known as the Carolina Bays Parkway.

Phyllis Fessman, who relocated here six years ago, doesn’t think development needs to stay clear of such areas altogether. “I don’t believe that matters. There is plenty of open space between these houses,” said Fessman, 63.

Ann Toothman, 60, who moved to the area from Belgium last year, said her home was livable, but took some fire damage. She said she started crying when she saw a map showing she could return.

“The whole time I lived here I worried about hurricanes. It never occurred to me to worry about a wildfire,” she said.