Locals nervous, tourists dance while fire burns

It’s like a snow day for many students in Horry County. Schools let out early in some areas. And the haze and ash in the air looks like snow, says longtime Grand Strand resident Renee Hembree. She picked up her son from school early today.
“He called me and said to come and get him since there was so much smoke in the school that they were sending everybody home,” she says.
Hembree says they are adding more schools to the list of cancellations for tomorrow.
On Ocean Drive, it’s packed for Shaggin’ on the Strand week—and for tourism on the beaches, it’s business as usual. But for locals, she says, it’s hitting too close to home.
“They are really,really nervous. One of our teachers, for instance, she’s lost her whole home–everything.  Her husband and her kids, they were able to get out at three this morning, but they lost their dog.” 
For people who have been displaced, there are two major Red Cross Shelters – one at the North Myrtle Beach Aquatics & Fitness Center and the House of Blues on Highway 17. U-Haul of South Carolina is offering free space rental for residents who need to evacuate or store belongings,
The South Carolina Forestry Commission reports that one person has been ticketed with two citations in connection with the fire. The incident remains under investigation.
Listen to interview (MP3 18 minutes)