Fifty wildfires burned at least 1,500 acres in South Carolina over the past few days

The hot, dry weather over the last week led to 50 fires across South Carolina on Wednesday and Thursday, according to state officials.

The S.C Forestry Commission put out a Red Flag Fire Alert Wednesday until further notice, discouraging any outdoor burning and prompting many local and county governments to issue burn bans.

“Weather forecasts for most of the state over the next three days include very low relative humidity and elevated drought conditions, which combine with dry fuels on the ground to create the potential for outdoor fires escaping easily and spreading rapidly,” the Forestry Commission said.

“The number one cause of wildfires in SC is debris burning that gets out of control,” the state Division of Fire Safety tweeted.

A heat wave broke high-temperature records across South Carolina this week. Most of the state is in either a moderate drought or considered “abnormally dry,” according to the United States Drought Monitor.

Parts of the state could get thunderstorms Friday, according to the National Weather Service in Columbia. But the storms could bring 20 mph winds to areas with dry brush, so the “fire danger remains elevated.”

A wildfire near Aiken burned more than 200 acres and closed Interstate 20 Wednesday night, The State reported.

A fire earlier this week at Francis Marion National Forest, near the coast between Charleston and Myrtle Beach, burned at least 1,300 acres, WCIV reports.

There were at least 30 wildfires across the state Friday, according to the state Forestry Commission’s wildfire tracking site. Most were small and quickly contained.