Cigarettes caused South Carolina's Table Rock Fire, forestry commission says

Main Idea: South Carolina forestry officials said careless cigarette use by hikers sparked the Table Rock Fire, leading to misdemeanor charges and a major wildfire response.

Key Points:

• The South Carolina Forestry Commission said three young men and a juvenile failed to put out their cigarettes properly while hiking in Table Rock State Park.
• Authorities charged them with negligently allowing fire to spread to another person’s land or property, a misdemeanor.
• The fire burned more than 13,000 acres across South Carolina and North Carolina, but rain helped slow it and it was partly contained.
• No injuries were reported, and officials said another large South Carolina fire, the Persimmon Ridge Fire, had stopped growing.