Coverage of the fires in North Myrtle Beach
Way too much of Horry ["OH-ree"] County, S.C. has been ablaze over the past 36 hours or so.
The McClatchy-owned Sun News of Myrtle Beach, circulation about 50,000, was the only paper in the region — among papers posting their fronts to the Newseum, at least — to put the story on its front page today:
If you’re like us, you’re wondering: What is that story stripped across the top of the fire package? What could possibly trump this disaster?
The answer: That’s about two men who finally made it to the famous Myrtle Beach-area golf courses for a round Wednesday, just as the fires were breaking out. Their original trip to South Carolina was interrupted when their airplane crash-landed in the Hudson River in January.
The Sun News‘ Mike Cherney reports:
Officials from Myrtle Beach Golf Holiday contacted Jeff Kolodjay after he went on TV shortly after the crash and said he was traveling to Myrtle Beach. Aside from free golf rounds at a number of area courses and lodging at Legends Golf Resort, Martin’s PGA Tour Superstore gave each in the group a $500 gift certificate.
Still skittish about flying, the group of six drove down from New England in an SUV. Read that story here.
And while Kolodjay and his pals finally got their golf jollies in, another disaster was starting, just a few miles away, in Conway, home of Coastal Carolina University. The fire quickly spread southeastward across Horry County toward North Myrtle Beach.
The Sun News reports this evening:
Firefighters continued to battle the blaze that has destroyed at least 69 homes, damaged 100 more, consumed more than 15,000 acres of land and has left a thick, gray smoke hanging over the area.
The fire was expected to intensify this afternoon and be pushed inland because of increasing winds, according to the S.C. Forestry Commission.
It could be days before the fire is under control, [said spokesman Scott Hawkins of the S.C. Forestry Commission].
The paper’s online coverage is anchored by a detailed Google map of the area showing evacuated areas, closed roads and call-out photos, videos and fact boxes:
The credit mentions the Sun News and the Charlotte Observer. We’re not sure, yet, how much help the folks in Myrtle Beach are getting from their larger sister paper. We’re not sure it matters, though. This kind of resource sharing — especially within a chain — is very common these days.
The resulting map is wonderfully rich with information. We spent a lot of time clicking on the various icons and zooming in to areas we’ve visited.
Earlier today, the Sun News established a rolling log of fire stories briefs — we’re not quite sure you’d call it a blog, but close enough — and the obligatory photo galleries. Which, frankly, do no good at all unless you have the photography muscle to load them up with good content.
Luckily, the paper does. A quick sampling:
Here’s the fire last night as it approached an upscale housing development in North Myrtle:
As you scroll through the galleries, you’re struck by the tornadic-like way the fires jumped around neighborhoods, striking one house but skipping another. Here, a house is spared but not the family pickup:
Randall Hill/The Sun News
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That was in a development called Barefoot Landing. Nearly 70 homes were destroyed in that community alone.
It’s not quite peak tourist season — that doesn’t really get cranked up until June — but it is prime golfing season in North Myrtle Beach. Here, you see the effects of the fires to the popular business district along U.S. 17:
Only in my home state of South Carolina — and I mean that in a good way — would you see something like this:
And, on another lighter note, is the advantage of having a disaster in a resort area. Here, the Red Cross sets up a shelter… in the local House of Blues:
Wonderful stuff. Please give these hardworking folks some clicks this week by visiting their web galleries and reading their stories. Find it all here.
fire in north myrtle beach
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