A woman accused of igniting a more than 2,000 acre wildfire last week in South Carolina, threatening the lives and homes of hundreds, has been arrested and charged, officials said on Friday.
Alexandra Bialousow, 40, of Myrtle Beach was arrested Thursday on charges of negligently allowed fire to spread and starting a fire in woodlands, grasslands or other places without taking certain precautions, according to the South Carolina Forestry Commission.
The commission said witnesses reported seeing Bialousow start a fire Sunday in a backyard fire pit close to a tree line in the Covington Lakes Subdivision.
“According to the arrest warrant, the suspect ‘did not have an appropriate water source readily available,’ nor did she ‘have any garden tools on hand to control the fire, thus allowing the fire to spread to land owned by Walker Woods HOA,” the commission said in a statement.
That fire grew to become the still-active Covington Drive Fire near Myrtle Beach, one of the largest of the more than 175 wildfires that burned across the state over the last week, according to officials.
Bialousow did not immediately respond to a request for comment Saturday.
As of Saturday afternoon, the Covington Drive Fire was 55% contained, according to the forestry commission. No major injuries have been reported from the fires.
Abnormally dry conditions have fueled wildfires that scorched more than 4,000 acres statewide and prompted evacuations, according to the office of South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster.
McMaster declared a state of emergency in response to the fires on Sunday.
“Dangerous wildfire conditions require that a statewide burning ban remain in effect until further notice,” he said in a statement. “Those who violate this ban will be subject to criminal prosecution.”
Neither the governor’s office nor the Myrtle Beach Police Department immediately responded to a request for comment on Bialousow’s arrest.
Bialousow is set to appear in court in Horry County on April 15. If convicted, each charge carries a possible sentence of up to 30 days imprisonment or fines.
