No, its not a new software title… more of a current event. Many have probably seen it on the news, but there is a massive wildfire in my area – the Myrtle Beach, SC area – just a few miles away from where my family and I live and work. As of writing this post, the wildfire has consumed about 20,000 acres. It spread into a very populated neighborhood, Barefoot Resort, completely destroying about 40 homes and damaging many more. It has taken or partially taken many homes in the Hwy 90 area, a more rural part of our area. A state maintained wildlife preserve, sitting between the developed coast and Hwy 90 was heavily affected.
The fire has unfortunately displaced a lot of families from their homes. I, along with most of Myrtle Beach, have been keeping tabs on the developments. Local TV station WMBF and our local daily have had extensive coverage with all sorts of resources… One of the more interesting ones is an overlay on a Google Map – that was pretty helpful knowing where the fire was.
The fire appears to have begun just a few hundred yards from the recycling processing facility owned by my wife’s company. She was actually at the facility at the time and saw the beginnings of what is probably the second largest wildfire in our area’s written history. She experienced the fire first-hand, as it jumped the road just behind her as she and her co-worker were leaving the facility. So, very close – a bit too close for comfort. Fortunately, there was no property loss at their facilities, so far.
State forestry officials, firefighters and the county have setup their emergency operations center in the building where my wife actually works a few miles away from the fire. Media have been streaming in and out and its been very, very busy. Our governer is in route for a press conference to be held at my wife’s office about 3:30 today. And, the story has made the national news.
The good news to report is that there has been no loss of life. And that is the silver lining. Property can be replaced, but lives cannot.
