MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (AP) — Firefighters say calm winds overnight allowed them to hold steady against a wildfire that has burned 31 square miles near one of South Carolina's busiest tourist areas.
State Forestry Commission spokeswoman Holly Welch said early Friday that there was no indication that additional homes had burned in the overnight hours.
The blaze that started Wednesday west of Myrtle Beach has destroyed about 70 homes and damaged about 100 others.
Welch said 30 firefighters manned containment lines overnight. Officials estimated late Thursday that the blaze was about 40 percent contained. It was expected to move north, away from the busiest stretch of beach hotels.
What does this mean for tourism?
I believe that even though this is something serious for residents, who were really not expecting this, it will not affect tourism in athe area. The part that was mos heavily devistated by the fire was the residential area. The beaches and the tourist attractions were harmed very little if at all. Myrtle beach is the heart of South Carolina's $16 billion tourism industry. Once a relatively sleepy coastal resort, the Myrtle Beach area now attracts an estimated 13 million vacationers a year to one of the state's fastest growing areas. Due to this, I dont see a significant change in tourism in Myrtle Beach.
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