About 2500 residents were told to evacuate throughout the night as a fire that broke out Wednesday afternoon got out of hand. The cause of the wildfire is still unknown, but was able to damage over 15,000 acres (23 sq. miles). The Governor of South Carolina declared Horry County a State of Emergency.
The wildfire was estimated to get as big as 4 miles wide during the blaze and even skipped over quite a few major highways in the Horry County Area with Hwy 90 being the first to jump in its path Wednesday afternoon. By Wednesday evening the fire jumped over Hwy 31 and throughout the night, the wind changed direction to push the fire over Hwy 22 into North Myrtle Beach.
North Myrtle Beach Schools were dismissed early Thursday when the threats of the North End of Hwy 22 were threatened. So far, it has been estimated that over 70 homes were damaged or destroyed due the wildfire. Thankfully, no one has been reported injured, with the exception of a few that reported some smoke inhalation.
With the help of the Coast Guard and National Guard being called in early Thursday Morning; along with the brave Fire Fighters that have been exhausting themselves non-stop since it began, we should hopefully see the end of this wildfire that has been called the worst blaze our state has seen since the 1976 wildfire that burned at least 30,000 acres.

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