Stray firework caused massive fire on Hilton Head beach over July 4th weekend, police say

A fire late Sunday night on Hilton Head Island’s beach scorched an area about the size of a baseball diamond worth of sea oats and dune vegetation, according to the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office.

The fire was likely started by a firework, according to Maj. Bob Bromage, spokesperson for the Sheriff’s Office.

Bystanders reported that the fire started around 9:30 p.m. No one was injured in the fire.

It happened near the Hilton Head Beach and Tennis Resort near Folly Field Beach.

Hilton Head Fire Rescue extinguished the fire, but about 8,100 square feet of dunes were burned, Bromage said.

Fireworks are illegal on Hilton Head, and Bromage said the person whose firework started the fire has not been found.

Sea turtle advocates, some of whom were on trash pick-up patrol following the holiday weekend, have warned against setting off fireworks on the beach because it disrupts nesting sea turtles and can threaten wildlife like it did on Sunday.

There were no sea turtle nests located near the site of the fire, according to the Sea Turtle Patrol.

This story will be updated as more information becomes available.

This story was originally published July 6, 2020 at 8:59 AM.

Katherine Kokal

The Island Packet

843-560-9158

Katherine Kokal graduated from the University of Missouri School of Journalism and joined The Island Packet newsroom in 2018. Before moving to the Lowcountry, she worked as an interviewer and translator at a nonprofit in Barcelona and at two NPR member stations. At The Island Packet, Katherine covers Hilton Head Island’s government, environment, development, beaches and the all-important Loggerhead Sea Turtle. She has earned South Carolina Press Association Awards for in-depth reporting, government beat reporting, business beat reporting, growth and development reporting, food writing and for her use of social media.