HORRY COUNTY, SC (WBTW) – An association of neighborhoods in Carolina Forest says a step community members took about four years ago may have prevented Thursday night’s Windsor Green fire from spreading to other buildings.
The Windsor Green neighborhood was certified as a Firewise USA community by the National Fire Prevention Association in 2014. That means residents in Windsor Green have worked to reduce the risk of wildfires.
In 2013, a fire spread rapidly and destroyed 26 apartment buildings in Windsor Green. Thursday night’s fire was the second large fire in Windsor Green in five years.
Bob Gagne, who runs the public safety committee for the Carolina Forest Civic Association, says the biggest issue was the amount of pine straw next to buildings. After the 2013 fire, Windsor Green replaced pine straw with mulch, which is a lot less flammable.
Gagne says less pine straw near buildings may have prevented others from catching fire last night.
“I have seen and preached most of the time to get pine straw and make sure it’s 15 to 30 feet away from your house,” Gagne said. “That’s the important thing.”
A community must also do other things to earn Firewise USA certification.
“You take away the bushes, and so the ones that are too close to your house, plant them a little further away, do not light your fire in a certain area,” Gagne said.
Windsor Green is one of 35 neighborhoods in South Carolina that has received a Firewise community certification.
