Myrtle Beach Forest Fire

All photos made in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina March 2, 2025 by Sean Rayford / ©Getty Images

I don’t remember his name, and I’m not even sure we exchanged them. But he invited me on his roof. It was steeper than I expected but his lady held the ladder — which could have been taller.

“I do a lot of risky stuff, but I try to be cautious by moving slow,” I said at the top — as I passed one of my cameras to a man I didn’t know.

He said my Vans would grip the shingles and showed me special roofing soles on his shoes. They gripped good enough, but I was never a skater, so I moved like a sloth.

As smoke rolled behind his neighbors homes in Myrtle Beach — we talked about the fire, a little about music, my job, and his job as a roofer. He taught me different techniques to walk on a roof and what to do if you find yourself sliding off the shingles.

Four hours later, and six minutes after five p.m. local officials rescinded all evacuations due to the Carolina Forest wildfire in the South Carolina Pee Dee.  At it’s height on Sunday morning the blaze covered 1200 acres, making it the largest in the state during the weekend outbreak.

From the roof