Horry County Fire Rescue to break ground on 3 new fire stations as population grows

HORRY COUNTY, S.C. (WMBF) - Horry County Fire Rescue hope three new fire stations will help them keep up with the number of people moving to the county.

The agency held two out of the three groundbreakings on Friday.

The first one, Fire Station 5, took place at 2291 Highway 31 East in the Longs area, while the second one, Fire Station 14, broke ground along Highway 905 in the Conway area.

The new Fire Station 14 will replace the former one that burned down in 2008. It’s been 14 years since the community along Highway 905 has had a fire station.

“It did exist prior. We haven’t had a station here in a while. It’s great again to show that response to growth. Horry County is getting busier and we are able to provide for them,” said HCFR spokesperson Tony Casey.

The groundbreaking comes at a much-needed time as the population throughout Horry County continues to grow.

“You have to take care of people as they come,” said Horry County Councilman Danny Hardee “We’re gonna have to play catch up and get this station built so we can protect the people in this area.”

It will cost the county $2 million to build each station, but leaders said the money needs to be spent in order to protect Horry County residents.

“These areas are getting very heavily populated and like I said the ratings in this area were higher than it is in other areas. It is not fair for people in this area to pay that kind of insurance and not be protected,” said Hardee.

The third groundbreaking for Fire Station 4 will take place at 9 a.m. on Thursday, Dec. 1 at 120 Burcale Road in the Forestbrook area.

The plan is for all three stations to be completed in a year but officials warn there could be some delays.

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