Attorney of Carolina Forest woman accused of sparking wildfire speaks out
HORRY COUNTY, S.C. (WRDW/WAGT) - The attorney representing a woman accused of sparking the Carolina Forest wildfire has come forward for the first time.
Alexandra Bialousow’s lawyer, Jonny McCoy, says he wants authorities to dismiss both of the charges against his client.
Bialousow was accused of negligently allowing what started as a simple firepit burn to spread into a 2,000-acre wildfire.
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The South Carolina Forestry Commission arrested the 40-year-old back on March 6, claiming she “did not have an appropriate water source nearby” to contain flare-ups in her fire pit, nor did she have garden tools on hand to control the flames.
“There were 12 other fires burning around the state of South Carolina, that is at minimum,” said McCoy. “They saw between Georgia and South Carolina could have been up to two dozen. Do you know how many other people were arrested? I have not found any yet. What that means is there can be a fire that is nobody’s fault criminally.”
McCoy says he has video evidence to prove neither of those allegations are true and feels as though his client has become a scapegoat.
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“She felt a direct sense of urgency,” said McCoy. “Initially, they said all this 2,000 acres of burning wood is her fault and pointed right at her. This is somebody who is hearing, ‘You are violating the burn ban, you did this and that.’ All she wanted to do was make the community feel whole again.”
Our sister station, WMBF News, reached out to SCFC about this investigation and they said they cannot comment on this investigation.
Bialousow’s first court hearing is scheduled for mid-April.
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