Firefighters are continuing to battle a wildfire at the Jones Gap State Park in Greenville County near the South Carolina- North Carolina border. The blaze has burned over 125 acres. South Carolina Forestry Commission spokesman Russell Hubright says the fire has only been partially contained and most likely full containment of the blaze will not occur until Tuesday. Hubright says 34 Forestry Commission firefighters and four crew members from state parks are fighting the blaze. Hubright says one of the main problems firefighters are encountering is a difficulty in navigating over the rough, uneven terrain. “It’s extremely steep and there’s quite a lot of loose rocks and rough footing. It’s a real challenge just to walk around, much less to take a rake and try to rake a firebreak in there.”
Hubright says the tricky wind currents through the valleys and dry conditions have caused the fire to spread quickly. Authorities say the blaze likely started from a campfire. No injuries have been reported. He says a solid fire line has been established on the east side of the fire, and a burnout operation is being employed where the unburned field between the fire break and the actual fire itself is being torched to burn toward the blaze. Hubright describes it as fighting “fire with fire.”
Hubright explains, “We formed a firebreak using bulldozers on one if the fire, but what we have been left with is a lot of unburned material between the actual fire and the firebreak and if you walk away from that, it (the fire) could possibly jump the line so we’re trying to send fire back toward fire, to put the thing out that way.”
Hubright says firefighters from just about every corner of the state are helping contain the fire. “We’ve actually pulled our guys from all over the state as far south as Hampton, and as far east as Florence. Guys who are qualified and physically able to get up in these hills. Some of them are seeing these conditions for the first time it’s probably very eye-opening for them.”