黑料社入口

Avalon resident Mary Haley was walking into the Carolina Forest Recreation Center at 8 a.m. Sunday after a failed attempt to return home.

鈥淚f I could get into my neighborhood, I'd probably feel a lot better,鈥� Haley said.

Accompanied by two young girls, Haley has not been home since Saturday around 2 p.m. While out shopping at newly opened BJ's Wholesale Club, she saw the smoke and decided to go home. Police met her on the street and informed her the area was being evacuated.

It was still light out and she sat in the parking lot of the Carolina Forest Recreation Center for a bit to see what would happen, but a Red Cross team member came out and told them the smoke was too bad and it was too dangerous to sit outside.

鈥淭hey had cots set up and they had pizza and donuts and stuff like that so it was fine,鈥� Haley said. 鈥淏ut it's a brand new morning, it鈥檚 still burning.鈥�

黑料社入口

Live updates: Carolina Forest residents may return home, crews still battling 1,200-acre wildfire

• From staff reports info@myhorrynews.com

Haley said she saw last night on her Ring camera a hose going through her driveway into her backyard, but is hopeful it was a precaution to wet the land, adding she saw no flames.

The wildfire, burning in a nonresidential area between Carolina Forest and Highway 90, doubled in size overnight to 1,200 acres. Crews are working to contain the fire and have evacuated multiple neighborhoods and streets in the area.聽

Evacuees are staying at the Carolina Forest Recreation Center off Carolina Forest Boulevard, and many Sunday morning expressed frustration and shock.

Police knocked and rang the doorbell of Bruce and Nora Jones at 7:07 a.m. Sunday and told them to evacuate with no other information.

鈥淚 have no idea [what] is going on yet,鈥� Bruce Jones said. 鈥淚 have gotten nothing, even here, I am trying to find out what is going on and there is nothing.鈥�

The couple was leaving the Recreation Center at 8:45 a.m. to return home and grab a few things they forgot to pack when they left and are hopeful they are able to get back into their homes.

鈥淚 feel disheveled,鈥� Nora Jones said laughing in disbelief. 鈥淟ike I need a shower, too.鈥�

Walkers Woods resident Marissa McMullen Bazinet was woken by her stepson around 4:30 a.m. The flames were blazing on one side of her cul-de-sac, then reached another side.

A neighbor called to warn them, almost immediately followed by first responders knocking on their door telling them to get out.

"I cannot believe we made it out of the house on time," she said.

She wasn鈥檛 worried about her house 鈥� it was the firefighters putting their lives on the line to get everyone out of the area.

鈥淗onestly it wasn鈥檛 about the house or the things, it was so many people putting their lives in danger to save us,鈥� she said. 鈥淭hese are peoples' dads, uncles, brothers, cousins.

鈥淚t was like out of a movie. It was 40, 50 feet high. It was ripping through there pretty good. I just keep telling everyone these firefighters are doing everything they possibly can. They are really working hard.鈥�

Bazinet said as of Sunday morning, her family is back home, but packing a bag in case they need to leave again.

鈥淲e are finally gathering our thoughts and packing a little more just in case,鈥� she said.

Dawn Bell and Thomas Abraham were evacuated from the Cloister neighborhood at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday and have been staying at the recreation center ever since. Red Cross arrived at the rec center with food and overnight supplies around 4 p.m. Saturday.

鈥淚 am confident they will get this resolved because they are doing a good job,鈥� Bell said. 鈥淥ur place didn鈥檛 even catch on fire, it鈥檚 just the smoke."

They were able to return home for Abraham鈥檚 medication and to change clothes Sunday morning. There was still a lot of smoke in their neighborhood, so they returned back to the rec center.

There are police posted in their neighborhood and Bell said other residents were making trips home to care for animals, retrieve medications or change clothes Sunday.

Here's where to find live updates about evacuations and the latest information on the fire.