Grass fire threatens Boyle Pond homes

Sumter Fire Department personnel are asking people to detour around the Boyle Pond area Wednesday night and Thursday morning as firefighters keep their eyes on a grass fire near McCrays Mill Road and St. Pauls Church Road.
Flames, fanned by westerly winds, shooting 10 feet high and hundreds of yards long, moved eastward across the dried lakebed. Firefighters defended homes on Cobblestone Road and plan to watch the fire overnight, hoping it will burn itself out.
Engineers drained the pond after its dam sustained damage during the October 2015 flood. Dried brush filled much of the drained pond that caught fire.
Look for more information in Thursday’s edition of The Sumter Item.