Fire at Night

“Fire is never a gentle master” - Proverb

The worst time for an emergency is while you’re asleep. And yet with home fires and wildfires this is sadly quite common. In Myrtle Beach, SC, a grass fire jumped across a major interstate late at night and quickly destroyed 40 homes. 2,500 residents had to flee their homes at 2am. Once resident who fled without her shoes said, "If we were asleep, we wouldn't have made it." The family (wisely!) was afraid to go to sleep because the blaze was so near.

Residents told of hearing police drive down their streets in the middle of the night, giving warnings on loudspeakers for residents to flee. Some residents said they had only a few minutes to escape their homes before flames arrived. - charlotteobserver.com

By the next morning, another 100 homes were destroyed and ash was falling as far as 30 miles away.

Bottom Line
When a fire is burning nearby, don’t assume that it’s under control and safe. Winds can change direction and whip up a raging inferno without notice. The South Caroline Governor had good advice for the public, “it's incredibly important that people near the affected area pay close attention to emergency announcements and news outlets about developments with [the] disaster."
When danger is nearby heed all evacuation instructions. If you stay at home, be prepared by packing your go-kits now so you can flee at a moments notice any time of night or day.