CONWAY, SC (WMBF) - For two weeks now Wayne Trainor has been doing a lot of looking out his back door at the Hornet Fire, which continues to burn in the woods behind his home in the Hillsborough community off Highway 90 in Horry County.
"As long as the wind's not blowing in our direction we do feel pretty good, but you still have to watch it," Trainor said.
Many of his neighbors worry about the fire too. Now some are asking if forestry firefighters are doing enough.
"I don't want to put fire retardant back there. I don't know what that would do to the environmental - putting fire retardant down - but something, something. Do something," Trainor said. "I'd like to see the helicopters again, dropping water."
Scott Hawkins with the S.C. Forestry Commission said dropping water is like trying to cut the grass in a front yard with scissors.
"There's no way on earth that this agency or any or even cooperating agencies like the military could put enough water on this fire to extinguish it," Hawkins said.
Hawkins said water drops were used during the large wildfire in Horry County in 2009 because they can help stop immediate threats in small areas. The Hornet Fire has now burned approximately 805 acres, and Hawkins said using water to fight it is too costly and ineffective. However, right now firefighters have multiple lines cleared around the fire, and they say it is not close to homes.
"As long as they're not advancing, those flames aren't advancing, beyond those containment lines there's no danger of that fire spreading," Hawkins said.
So the fire will continue to burn within those lines, which means smoke will linger in the area until the fire is out.
The Sid and Pansy Nichols, who also live nearby said as long as nothing changes they know they will just have to wait for that time to come.
"We think that everything is being done that can be done," commented Sid.
He said he does not think it is reasonable to expect firefighters to put out the fire any more quickly. He does however wish fines were greater for people who are found to be responsible for wildfires.
"They're limited in what they can do," Pansy said about the firefighters, "but if they can just keep an eye on it and keep it from spreading, that's it."
Hawkins said firefighters will be out watching the fire until it is out - whether that is because it burns itself out because of substantial rainfall.
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