Featured presentation highlights lessons learned from South Carolina's most destructive wildfire: the Highway 31 Fire

In April 2009, the most destructive wildfire in South Carolina history burned almost 20,000 acres adjacent to Myrtle Beach. This "Highway 31 fire" as it was coined, was the topic of featured presenter Darryl Jones' session at Backyards & Beyond today. The fire exhibited extreme fire behavior, long-range spotting, and resulted in two entrapments. The initial fire destroyed 76 homes and significantly damaged 97 additional homes in a 28 hour period. Major highways into the Myrtle Beach area were closed, schools shut down and tourism was interrupted during peak travel season. Darryl detailed the efforts to control the fire, manage...