MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (AP) — Lighter winds Monday helped crews in South Carolina and North Carolina battle wildfires that caused evacuations and threatened hundreds of homes over the weekend.
Hundreds of firefighters from across South Carolina managed to keep a large blaze in Horry County near Myrtle Beach from destroying any homes despite social media videos of orange skies at night and flames engulfing pine trees just yards away. Volunteers distributed cases of water and food to firefighters working long hours protecting homes and other structures.
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In this photo released by the Horry County Fire Rescue, smoke is seen from fires in Horry County, S.C., on Saturday, March 1, 2025. (Horry County Fire Rescue via AP)
Firefighters pause to pray in front of the Carolina Forest Community Church Sunday, March 2, 2025, in Myrtle Beach, S.C., as they work to contain a fire in the Carolina Forest. (Janet Morgan/The Post And Courier via AP)
Horry County firefighters set up fire hoses as they monitor the Carolina Forest wildfire in the Covington Lakes neighborhood, Sunday, March 2, 2025, in Myrtle Beach, S.C. (Gavin McIntyre//The Post And Courier via AP)
Planes fill bladders with water from the Intracoastal Waterway and empty the water on hot spots in the Carolina Forest wildfire Sunday, March 2, 2025, in Myrtle Beach, S.C. (Janet Morgan/The Post And Courier via AP)
In this photo released by the Horry County Fire Rescue, smoke is seen from fires in Horry County, S.C., on Saturday, March 1, 2025. (Horry County Fire Rescue via AP)
“We’re very, very proud of our first responders,” said Rick Vines, a plumber who was helping with the volunteer effort. "And we wanted them to feel how proud we were by coming out here and stepping in and making sure they had what they needed so they could focus on what they were here to do.”
The fire burned 2.5 square miles (6.5 square kilometers) and was about 30% contained as of Monday evening, according to Horry County Fire Rescue. The department deployed drones as well as ground crews to respond to flare-up fires, reinforce break lines and set up portable sprinkler systems.
It was the biggest fire in the area since a 2009 wildfire nearby did $42 million in damage and destroyed about 75 homes.
Officials in all of South Carolina banned almost all outdoor fires, including burning yard debris and campfires. They told residents to call 911 if they see a neighbor setting a fire.
“You can and will go to jail for starting a fire outdoors in South Carolina. Period,” Gov. Henry McMaster wrote on social media.
Burn bans were also in place in western North Carolina. Some residents in Polk County remained evacuated from their homes as fire crews Monday morning set their own blazes to burn possible wildfire fuel to make it easier to contain a 480-acre (190-hectare) fire that was about 30% contained.
Polk County is on the fringes of an area badly hit by Hurricane Helene last year. Fallen trees that have not been cleared are increasing the risk of fires across the region.
In eastern North Carolina, nearly 80 mostly small wildfires were reported in Robeson County. Emergency officials said 15 structures were damaged, but they did not give specifics on the types of buildings.
The North Carolina Forest Service reported more than 200 wildfires across the state Monday, although almost all of them were small and not threatening any structures.
Officials across the Carolinas warned of poor air quality because of smoke.
In a drier-than-normal winter, a weekend cold front moved through the area, bringing high winds without the usual rain that accompanies the weather systems in the South and increasing the fire danger.
The area near Myrtle Beach is one of the most dangerous for wildfires in South Carolina as hundreds of years of decomposing vegetation creates peat, which when it dries out can burn for a long time.
Pine trees and other waxy vegetation provide fuel for fires to rapidly spread in dry, windy conditions.
Horry County’s population has doubled to 400,000 people over the past 25 years. Many of those newcomers have moved into neighborhoods being rapidly built right next to the oval Carolina Bays where peat and flammable vegetation all grows together. Fires have been part of the natural landscape of the bays for centuries.
Officials have not said what caused any of the fires.
In this photo released by the Horry County Fire Rescue, smoke is seen from fires in Horry County, S.C., on Saturday, March 1, 2025. (Horry County Fire Rescue via AP)
Firefighters pause to pray in front of the Carolina Forest Community Church Sunday, March 2, 2025, in Myrtle Beach, S.C., as they work to contain a fire in the Carolina Forest. (Janet Morgan/The Post And Courier via AP)
Horry County firefighters set up fire hoses as they monitor the Carolina Forest wildfire in the Covington Lakes neighborhood, Sunday, March 2, 2025, in Myrtle Beach, S.C. (Gavin McIntyre//The Post And Courier via AP)
Planes fill bladders with water from the Intracoastal Waterway and empty the water on hot spots in the Carolina Forest wildfire Sunday, March 2, 2025, in Myrtle Beach, S.C. (Janet Morgan/The Post And Courier via AP)
In this photo released by the Horry County Fire Rescue, smoke is seen from fires in Horry County, S.C., on Saturday, March 1, 2025. (Horry County Fire Rescue via AP)
BOSTON (AP) — Alex Bregman hit a three-run homer and tied a career high with six RBIs, Rafael Devers went 4 for 4 and drove in three runs, and the Boston Red Sox rolled to an 18-7 win and a doubleheader sweep of the St. Louis Cardinals on Sunday night.
Wilyer Abreu added three RBIs for Boston, which finished with a season-best 22 hits and won its fifth straight. It was the 14th career four-hit game for Devers, who also scored four runs. Bregman had four hits for the 10th time, and Jarren Duran had three hits and scored three runs.
All that offense made for an easy night for Hunter Dobbins (1-0), who scattered five hits and gave up two runs over five innings to win his major league debut. Cooper Criswell allowed four runs in the ninth, but went three innings for his first save.
St. Louis starter Miles Mikolas (0-1) permitted nine runs — eight earned — and 11 hits in 2 2/3 innings. Thomas Saggaese hit a three-run homer in the ninth and Brendan Donovan had three hits and two RBIs for the Cardinals. St. Louis extended a team record with its ninth straight game getting at least 10 hits.
In the makeup of Saturday's rainout, Abreu singled off the Green Monster to drive in the winning run in the bottom of the 10th inning as the Red Sox rallied for a 5-4 victory in the opener. Devers, who began the season 0 for 21 with 15 strikeouts, hit his first homer of the year.
Pedro Pagés replaced St. Louis catcher Iván Herrera in the first game after he exited with left knee inflammation. In an interview on the ESPN broadcast, Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said initial testing came back clean and Herrera’s knee was structurally sound. But he added the inflammation will require a stint on the injured list.
Boston took control in the second, scoring five runs on an RBI single by Ceddanne Rafaela and two-run doubles by Bregman and Abreu. Mikolas threw 41 of his 81 pitches during the inning. The Red Sox had another five-run inning in the sixth.
The Red Sox scored five runs in the second and four in the third. It marked the first time they scored four or more runs in back-to-back innings since Aug. 24, 2023, at Houston, and the first time at Fenway Park since Sept. 27, 2022, against Baltimore.
LHP Matthew Liberatore (0-0, 4.50 ERA) will start as the Cardinals open a three-game series Monday in Pittsburgh. The Red Sox had not announced a starting pitcher for the opener of their four-game series against Toronto.
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St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Michael Siani chases the ball after Boston Red Sox's Carlos Narváez hit for a double in the seventh inning during the second baseball game of a doubleheader, Sunday, April 6, 2025, in Boston. (AP Photo/Mark Stockwell)
St. Louis Cardinals catcher Pedro Pagés, left, meets with pitcher Gordon Graceffo (44) on the mound in the seventh inning during the second baseball game of a doubleheader against the Boston Red Sox, Sunday, April 6, 2025, in Boston. (AP Photo/Mark Stockwell)
Boston Red Sox's Alex Bregman hits a three-run home run in the third inning during the second baseball game of a doubleheader against the St. Louis Cardinals, Sunday, April 6, 2025, in Boston. (AP Photo/Mark Stockwell)
St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Miles Mikolas throws in the first inning during the second baseball game of a doubleheader against the Boston Red Sox, Sunday, April 6, 2025, in Boston. (AP Photo/Mark Stockwell)
Boston Red Sox's Alex Bregman gestures as he rounds the base after hitting a three-run homer in the third inning during the second baseball game of a doubleheader against the St. Louis Cardinals, Sunday, April 6, 2025, in Boston. (AP Photo/Mark Stockwell)
Boston Red Sox pitcher Hunter Dobbins throws in the first inning during the second baseball game of a doubleheader against the St. Louis Cadinals, Sunday, April 6, 2025, in Boston. (AP Photo/Mark Stockwell)
Boston Red Sox's Trevor Story, left, and Alex Bregman, right, celebrate Bregman's three-run homer in the third inning during the second baseball game of a doubleheader against the St. Louis Cardinals, Sunday, April 6, 2025, in Boston. (AP Photo/Mark Stockwell)
St. Louis Cardinals second baseman Thomas Saggese, left, tags out Boston Red Sox's Romy Gonzalez (23) in the seventh inning during the first baseball game of a doubleheader, Sunday, April 6, 2025, in Boston. (AP Photo/Mark Stockwell)
Boston Red Sox's Rafael Devers, right, high fives teammate Alex Bregman, left, after Devers hit a home run in the fifth inning during the first baseball game of a doubleheader against the St. Louis Cardinals, Sunday, April 6, 2025, in Boston. (AP Photo/Mark Stockwell)
Boston Red Sox's Rafael Devers dons a mascot head in the dugout after hitting a home run in the fifth inning during the first baseball game of a doubleheader against the St. Louis Cardinals, Sunday, April 6, 2025, in Boston. (AP Photo/Mark Stockwell)
Boston Red Sox's Rafael Devers (11) gestures as he runs the bases after hitting a home run in the fifth inning during the first baseball game of a doubleheader against the St. Louis Cardinals, Sunday, April 6, 2025, in Boston. (AP Photo/Mark Stockwell)
Boston Red Sox's Romy Gonzalez, right, reacts after getting tagged out by St. Louis Cardinals second baseman Thomas Saggese, left, in the seventh inning during the first baseball game of a doubleheader, Sunday, April 6, 2025, in Boston. (AP Photo/Mark Stockwell)
St. Louis Cardinals' Pedro Pagés hits for a double in the sixth inning during the first baseball game of a doubleheader against the Boston Red Sox, Sunday, April 6, 2025, in Boston. (AP Photo/Mark Stockwell)
