Good weather for golf, fighting fires
Coleman Rivers - All photos by Sean Rayford for Getty Images, made in the vicinity of the Table Rock complex fire near Pumpkintown, South Carolina on March 30, 2025
As Coleman Rivers teed off mid-round at the Rock Golf Club and Resort in Pickens County on Saturday, smoke billowed from a back burn at the Table Rock complex fire. Outside of the nearby wildfire that has consumed 11,468 acres as of Saturday afternoon, it was a perfect day for golf in the South Carolina mountains.
Allen Smith, an entomologist with the Texas A&M Forest Service
Following a dry and windy Friday, Saturday also brought “perfect” weather condition for fighting fires — as described by Derrick Moore, Operations Section Chief, Southern Area Blue Team — and firefighters purposely burned towards an active section on the southwestern boundary of the fire.
On Sunday, a small but much needed dose of rain was administered by mother nature and forecasts call for wetter patterns through the week.
Moore says that the rain will dramatically change their strategies and concerns. He feels good about the Persimmon ridge section of the Table Rock complex fire and does not expect growth of its footprint.
Much of the volatility of the complex fire in now in the vicinity of the Rt. 276 corridor. For daily updates check out the the South Carolina Forestry Division publishes updates on their Facebook page.
About the author: Sean Rayford is a photojournalist based in South Carolina freelancing with folks like The New York Times, Getty Images, The Associated Press and others. If you’d like to learn more about photography, Sean offers online photography lessons.