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Developers are looking to build 140 homes at a property in Pickens County

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PICKENS, S.C. —

The future of a massive development project has been the center of debate in Pickens County. On Wednesday, Pickens City Council hosted a town hall to provide updated plans and hear from the public.

An overcapacity room and subsequently a hallway were packed full of people for Wednesday's town hall meeting in Pickens County.

It was hosted to discuss a highly contested potential project in Pickens County that would put 142 homes along Mauldin Lake Road.

"We've now taken and changed our game from smaller houses on smaller lots to bigger houses on bigger lots, and then more expensive houses on smaller lots that have incredible views," said Brian Gullette with BRD Land and Development.

The property sits untouched, less than a quarter mile from Pickens city limits, meaning it would need to be annexed and rezoned.

Developers say a development agreement would need to be approved by multiple parties.

"It's a higher standard than zone site, green space, firm buffer, numbers of homes, it's all nailed down in writing. The developer can't change the city, can't change. The land ever changes hands, and the developer leaves. The next person can't change it," explained real estate broker Dan Bracken.

Peter Greenberger lives down the road from the property and thinks Pickens can find other ways to bring people in.

"Special events and, working on the downtown core, I think, is a path to success and prosperity, not bulldozing agricultural land," he says.

This Pickens mayor ended the town hall on this note -

"Let's work together to make this as good as possible, because I made a commitment that I wanted growth, but I did not want to lose our identity," he says.

Developers also say the 142 homes will cost between $400,000 and $600,000, but they did not express how those values would impact taxes for surrounding properties.

The city council will also discuss the project in a meeting on Monday.

Officials ordered mandatory evacuations in Greenville and Pickens Counties after two wildfires exploded in size on Tuesday.

Marietta First Baptist Church at 2936 Greer Highway was listed as the evacuation shelter for all residents impacted by the evacuation order, according to a release from the S.C. Forestry Commission. The evacuation order came after the Table Rock Fire in Pickens and Persimmon Ridge Fire in Greenville both expanded greatly Tuesday despite firefighters’ best efforts to contain them.

The dry and windy weather, coupled with downed trees from Hurricane Helene last year, have contributed to the rapid growth of Table Rock Fire, which started on March 21, and Persimmon Ridge Fire, which started on March 22. Wind gusts and a minimum of 20% relative humidity on Wednesday could stimulate further growth, the forestry commission said.

“SC State fire has ordered 20 engines and 10 brush trucks for structure protection due to the new fire growth/threat and evacuations,” the forestry commission states. “This will add to their existing presence of six engine companies, three battalion chiefs, and four brush trucks.”

Below is a list of all roads in Greenville and Pickens Counties with mandatory evacuations.

Greenville County

Pickens County

Even though progress was made in fortifying containment lines on the eastern edge of the fire, the Table Rock fire expanded considerably in the other direction on Tuesday. It currently encompasses an estimated 2,293 acres, nearly double the 1,156 acres it was burning on Monday.

“The Table Rock Fire, whose northern edge yesterday was just south of Table Rock Reservoir, essentially burned westward along the forested watershed and eventually back east, halfway around the lake’s northern perimeter,” the forestry commission states. “The fire is estimated to have burnt all the way through the southern slopes of Rocky Mountain and Buzzard Mountain, eventually reaching Brushy Knob at last report.”

The Persimmon Ridge Fire expanded its eastern, western, and southern perimeters on Tuesday, tripling in size to 996 acres. Two large air tankers were used to make multiple fire retardant drops on the fire on Tuesday.

“Drops continued throughout the afternoon along the other edges of the fire in an intensive effort to contain the fire in a “box” ringed with retardant,” the forestry commission states.

This story was originally published March 26, 2025 at 5:00 AM.

PICKENS, S.C. (AP) — Two wildfires that started lose to each other in the South Carolina mountains and burned an area over half the size of Hilton Head Island are nearly contained, authorities said.

Four teens who did not fully extinguish their cigarettes while hiking have been charged with causing the largest Table Rock Mountain wildfire which started March 21, the South Carolina Forestry Commission said.

That fire and the Persimmon Ridge fire about 8 miles (13 kilometers) away burned about 25 square miles (64.5 square kilometers) during the 10 days they were out of control in the Blue Ridge Mountains.

Rain this past weekend, coupled with more humid weather, helped firefighters finally get fire breaks built and check the entire area around the blaze for hot spots Wednesday, said Mike Brod, head of the federal team helping fight the fire.

“That was no small feat for sure. There was over 60 miles of fire perimeter,” Brod said.

No injuries were caused by the fire and no major structural damage was reported.

The arrests for starting the fire were made earlier this week, authorities said.

Four teens who were among seven hikers rescued off the mountain as the blaze started were charged with negligently allowing fire to spread to lands or property of another, the state Forestry Commission said. Arrest warrants said officers have evidence the teens were smoking cigarettes and did not properly extinguish them.

The weekend rain and an additional downpour late Wednesday night were a huge help putting out the fires, but the danger is far from over.

Millions of downed trees from last fall’s Hurricane Helene remain to provide fuel to any new blaze and also impede efforts to fight fires, South Carolina Forester Scott Phillips said.

South Carolina firefighters fought nearly 400 wildfires in March. April is typically the worst month for wildfires and forecasters said the long term forecast has more hot and dry days to come.

Pickens County sheriff said charges will be pressed in relation to Table Rock fire

PICKENS, S.C. (WBTV) - A wildfire described as “the perfect fire” by the South Carolina governor has reached nearly 13,000 acres in size.

The blaze allegedly began at Table Rock State Park on March 21 after four teenagers were said to have been “negligent,” according to the Pickens County Sheriff’s Office.

Since the fire was sparked, it had burned 12,592 acres as of Sunday, March 30. Official state data showed the wildfire was 30% contained late Sunday night as firefighting efforts continued.

At its current size, the Table Rock wildfire is the largest in Upstate South Carolina history, sister-station WHNS reported. The Pinnacle Mountain fire in 2016 was previously the largest and spanned more than 10,600 acres.

While the Table Rock fire continues to burn, the Pickens County sheriff said charges are “coming” for the teens accused of starting it.

“Those are coming, but right now our focus is on the protection of life and property,” Sheriff Tommy Blankenship said on March 28.

The day the fire started, Blankenship said the teenagers had been identified and “appropriate” charges would be made “at a later date.” The sheriff’s office has not publicly released their names.

It is unclear when those charges could be pressed.

As crews keep working to contain and put out the massive Table Rock blaze, rain could give them a big boost.

Officials said Sunday morning that the northeastern edge of the fire was where it was continuing to spread. With rain coming Monday, officials hope the precipitation can limit the wildfire’s growth.

“With the rain and the weather coming in, it’s going to mitigate this fire activity,” an official said. “So in all likelihood, this fire is going to kind of park itself for a few days.”

The official said the presumed stopped spread would allow crews to reevaluate how they can best contain the fire on that northeastern edge.

Previous weather has made firefighting more difficult as low humidity, warming temperatures and strong wind gusts made conditions ideal for wildfires to break out and spread.

The Table Rock fire crossed state lines Friday, March 28 when it spread into Transylvania County in North Carolina.

Two other fires -- the Rattlesnake Branch and Persimmon Ridge wildfires -- were also threatening Transylvania County. Like the Table Rock fire, the Persimmon Ridge fire also started in South Carolina. Neither the Persimmon Ridge nor Rattlesnake Branch fires had crossed into Transylvania County as of Sunday afternoon.

The latest information and updates out of Transylvania County can be found here.

Western North Carolina has dealt with a series of wildfires within the past two weeks, including three that started in Polk County.

The South Carolina Forestry Commission has said hundreds of people have been involved in the firefighting efforts, with dozens of crews called in. The state National Guard has also joined in, using helicopters to dump nearly a million gallons of water on the flames.

As of March 29, the South Carolina National Guard said it had dropped 845,733 gallons of water on the fire. The National Guard said Black Hawks can carry 600 gallons per trip, while the Chinooks can carry 2,000 gallons.

National Guard aircraft were also used to fight the Covington Drive fire in the Myrtle Beach area earlier in March.

Previous Coverage: ‘The perfect fire’: Mix of factors to blame for South Carolina wildfire, gov. says

Copyright 2025 WBTV. All rights reserved.

PICKENS, S.C. (WBTV) - A South Carolina fire allegedly started by four teenagers last week tripled in size since Monday and burned through mountains in just days.

The fire started around 5:45 p.m. on Friday, March 21, at Table Rock State Park in Pickens County. Officials reported the fire grew to over 1,300 acres by Sunday, March 23.

By the end of the day on Tuesday, March 25, the fire “expanded greatly” and burned through the southern slopes of Rocky and Buzzard Mountains, according to the South Carolina Forestry Commission.

As of this writing, more than 2,300 acres were burned and the fire was 0% contained.

On Tuesday night (March 25) Greenville Water posted a video from Table Rock Reservoir showing the massive fire burning throughout the park.

“So many people have spent days fighting this fire, pouring every ounce of energy and time they have to try to beat this unimaginable blaze,” a spokesperson wrote. “Unfortunately, at this time, it remains 0% contained.”

Greenville Water’s video can be seen below.

According to deputies, the four teenagers’ “negligent act” sparked the blaze while they were hiking. All four are reportedly facing charges.

Deputies said a crew searching for Stephanie Womacks, a missing camper in the park, reported the fire to authorities during the afternoon hours of Friday, March 21.

The next day, a search party for Womacks was canceled due to the fire.

When the fire began, authorities and hikers in the area were trapped and narrowly escaped, officials said.

Officials issued immediate evacuations for Greenville and Pickens County residents at 2 p.m. on Wednesday, March 26.

The commission posted updates for those impacted and will be the best source for updated evacuation information. For more, click here.

S.C. State Parks announced all trails were closed as crews worked to contain the fire.

As of this writing, there were no reports of injuries or structure damage.

On Saturday, March 22, South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster declared a state of emergency to ensure firefighters have the resources to combat the Table Rock Fire.

A statewide burn ban was also ordered, meaning all outdoor burning is prohibited.

“Anyone who violates this ban can and will go to jail,” McMaster wrote.

Copyright 2025 WBTV. All rights reserved.