Last week, a wildfire at Myrtle Beach burned through 2059 acres, threatening the lives and homes of hundreds. Now, a 40-year-old woman named Alexandra Bialousow has been arrested in connection with the wildfire. She is being accused of igniting a fire at her home. Said fire allegedly led to the wildfire as Bialouslow did not possess the necessary precautions to prevent the spread.
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According to a South Carolina Forestry Commission press release, several witnesses reported seeing Bialousow igniting a fire at her backyard fire pit on March 1. Said fire pit was close to a tree line at Covington Lakes Subdivision.
The fire spread to the tree line and, per the release, Bialousow didn't "have an appropriate water source readily available." Moreover, she didn't "have any garden tools on hand to control the fire, thus allowing the fire to spread to land owned by Walker Woods HOA."
As a result, the Covington Drive Fire consumed more than 2000 acres. Evacuations were issued throughout several Grand Strand neighborhoods, as per the New York Post. Not only that, but the South Carolina National Guard also had to dispatch Black Hawk helicopters in an attempt to fight the inferno. Currently, the fire remains at 55% containment, according to WPDE.
Alexandra Bialousow was arrested on Thursday, March 6. She was charged with "negligently allowing fire to spread to lands or property of another" and "starting fire in woodlands, grasslands, and other places unlawful unless certain precautions were taken," as per the Forestry Commission release. She faces up to thirty days in prison and a fine of up to 400 dollars.
Neighbors React
Several of the Horry County neighbors close to Bialousow reacted to the news of her arrest. All are expecting her to receive consequences. At the same time, they show sympathy toward her, given that it appears that the igniting was not intentional.
"Her face was like the blood had rushed out of her face, and she knew she had messed up," John Harris, a neighbor told WMBF. "She deserves to have consequences for her actions," another neighbor told the outlet. A third neighbor said: "This is taking a toll on families, on pocketbooks, on houses, on emotions, on firefighters."
Neighbor Laurence Dassen also spoke to the outlet about the wildfire and Bialousow.
"It's terrifying to see, thinking when you're leaving that neighborhood is going to be gone," Dassen said regarding the wildfire evacuations. "I really feel sorry for the lady. I'm sure she didn't intend for any of this to happen, but I don't excuse her for being so negligent. Whatever she's going to face, she's going to have to deal with that."
Alexandra Bialousow was released from jail after posting a $15,000 bond on Friday, March 7.
