Everyone saying this is a laser or some grand conspiracy is very uninformed in this case. Subject matter expert here. This happened during a red flag warning with extreme forecasted fire behavior. It also happened on the edge of multiple carolina bays. This is a topography feature which tends to promote some of the most explosive fire behavior in the southeast. These are typically wet areas with lots of vegetation (often waxy and very flammable) surrounded by a sand ridge. Homes were built on, in, and on the edge of these features. A blowup fire in this area, while rare, is totally predictable. One jackass with a pile burning in the wrong place, or even a powerline failure, couldve caused this to happen. No need for grand conspiracies when the fire danger conditions are so high.
I looked at the scout plane track on flight radar and it was directly over several smaller bays butting up to neighborhoods. This is likely where the video was taken. It was in land covered by bays.
Edit**
Checked again to confirm. Scout plane was circling several carolina bays surrounded by neighborhoods and has pulled off to a new area just east of this spot. The air tankers are currently back up and dumping on the initial spot i looked at
Everyone saying this is a laser or some grand conspiracy is very uninformed in this case. Subject matter expert here. This happened during a red flag warning with extreme forecasted fire behavior. It also happened on the edge of multiple carolina bays. This is a topography feature which tends to promote some of the most explosive fire behavior in the southeast. These are typically wet areas with lots of vegetation (often waxy and very flammable) surrounded by a sand ridge. Homes were built on, in, and on the edge of these features. A blowup fire in this area, while rare, is totally predictable. One jackass with a pile burning in the wrong place, or even a powerline failure, couldve caused this to happen. No need for grand conspiracies when the fire danger conditions are so high.
That would be a good explanation, but the Carolina Bays are east of Myrtle Beach, and the fires were to the west.
I looked at the scout plane track on flight radar and it was directly over several smaller bays butting up to neighborhoods. This is likely where the video was taken. It was in land covered by bays.
Edit** Checked again to confirm. Scout plane was circling several carolina bays surrounded by neighborhoods and has pulled off to a new area just east of this spot. The air tankers are currently back up and dumping on the initial spot i looked at
Ok. I only saw the large bays to the east. Definitely dry down there, but seems pretty suspicious.