South Carolina authorities have arrested and charged a 40-year-old Myrtle Beach woman in connection with a fire that burned more than 2,000 acres around March 1.
Alexandra Bialousow is charged with one count of arson/negligently allowing fire to spread to lands of another and one count of regulation of fires on certain lands, according to Horry County records.
South Carolina Forestry Commission (SCFC) law enforcement officials determined that a fire pit on Bialousow’s property allegedly ignited the 2,000-acre Covington Drive Fire.
“Bialousow is accused of not taking the proper precautions to prevent her debris burn from escaping and negligently allowing fire to spread to ‘lands of another.’ Witnesses reported seeing Bialousow intentionally start a fire in a backyard fire pit that was in close proximity to a tree line within Covington Lakes Subdivision on March 1,” SCFC said in a press release.
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An arrest warrant states that the suspect “did not have an appropriate water source readily available,” nor “any garden tools on hand to control the fire, thus allowing the fire to spread to land owned by Walker Woods HOA.”
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Several neighbors witnessed the fire start to spread, according to the warrant.
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Certain neighborhoods in the Carolina Forest area were evacuated on March 1, but the order was lifted on Sunday. No structures were destroyed, and no injuries were reported as a result of the fire.
If convicted, Bialousow would face possible imprisonment and fines. She has since been released from jail after posting $7,500 bond.
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