Fire resources
Live maps
Check out our real-time interactive maps of active fires and burn notifications by clicking on either links below.
South Carolina wildfire information
- Wildfire in South Carolina
- Wildfire facts
- Fire Suppression – How we fight fire
- Important fires in SC history
- Wildfire statistics
Weather information
- South Carolina fire weather
- Detailed fire weather
- Common National Weather Service Abbreviations
- South Carolina drought index
Burning bans and other fire alerts
What’s difference between a Red Flag Fire Alert and a State Forester’s Burning Ban?
Burning information
Benefits of Prescribed Burning
DHEC Regulation 61-62.2
Fuel Load Estimation Guide
A Guide for Prescribed Fire in Southern Forests (USFS pdf)
How to dispose of yard debris properly
Frequently Asked Questions about Outdoor Burning in South Carolina
SC Drought Index (Opens a new window.)
SC Prescribed Fire Council (opens in a new window)
Prescribed Fire Plan
Laws
Laws and Regulations – Forest Law Handbook.
Smoke Management Guidelines (pdf)
Laws That Protect Our Forests & People – Forest protection laws safeguard the state’s valuable natural resource.
Clean Air Act
The Clean Air Act of 1970 directed the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to identify and publish a list of air pollutants and to establish air quality standards for those pollutants in order to protect public health. States were then directed, by the Act, to submit plans detailing how they intended to achieve and maintain the air quality standards set by the EPA.
The South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) had already implemented air quality regulations in the early 1960s through the South Carolina Code of Laws 61-62.2. This law basically prohibited outdoor burning. Forestry prescribed burning, because it was not included in the Clean Air Act as a major source of particular matter, was granted an exemption under this law.
In 1981, because of a growing concern about potential problems caused by smoke from prescribed burning, the forestry community developed voluntary smoke management guidelines. The guidelines were not written to restrict the use of prescribed fire, but to reduce the amount of particulate matter being released into smoke sensitive areas.
From 1981 to 1985, forest managers worked under DHEC’s regulations and the voluntary guidelines. In 1985, DHEC and the SC Forestry Commission agreed to include the smoke management guidelines, as administered by the Forestry Commission, as part of the 62.2 exemptions. Wildlife and agricultural management burns were included in this agreement.
The Smoke Management Guidelines explain general burning limitations in terms of:
- Category Days (1 through 5) which indicate how well smoke will disperse based on the weather forecast for a given day;
- Fuel Loading which indicate average tonnage per acre for most types of vegetative fuels; and
- Smoke Sensitive Areas which define places where smoke might be harmful or offensive (i.e. highways, airports, chicken farms or neighbors with health problems).
See Smoke Management Guidelines for Vegetative Debris Burning Operations — State of South Carolina for more information.
FIRE PREVENTION POSTER COLLECTION
FIRE SAFETY LINKS
- Disaster Safety for People with Disabilities: What to Do When Emergency Weather Strikes
- Fire Safety for Kids: Sparky the Fire Dog
- Open Campfire Safety Rules
- Survive the Unthinkable if Wildfire Threatens Your Home
- Home Fire Safety for Older Adults
- Fire Safety for Kids
- Fireplace and Chimney Problems, Tips & Prevention
- Burn Prevention and Fire Safety Tips
- Burns: First Aid for Pets
- Fire and Smoke Damage Restoration and Repair – Average Costs
- Guide For Catastrophe Prep, Recovery And Coverage