Refrigerated Trailer for Rent in Myrtle Beach, SC

Walking into Joyce O’Connor’s home on Wednesday afternoon, the haze of wildfire smoke was cleared out — but not the smell.

The Covington Drive Wildfire, which was 2,059 acres and 44% contained on Thursday morning, came dangerously close to her Walkers Woods home, melting the siding on the back of her house. Along with the outside disfigurement, her vents and HVAC system sustained damage.

“I have, you know, smoke and soot damage,” O’Connor said. “There’s a lot more than meets the eye, it’s not just some melted siding,”

As of Thursday morning, it’s unclear if there will be any government assistance to help those with damage caused by the wildfires and smoke.

Since FEMA was not called in for the wildfires, there will be no FEMA aid available for Horry County residents, said Tiffanie Barrett with the South Carolina Emergency Management Division.

When asked if the South Carolina Emergency Management Division will assist fire-damaged homes, Barrett said she did not know yet.

“All of this is still ongoing. Conversations (about assistance) are being had behind the scenes, but I don’t know what they would be at this point,” Barrett said.

Via text, Mikayla Moskov with Horry County directed The Sun News to speak with the South Carolina Emergency Management Division about FEMA aid. She did not respond when asked if Horry County would provide aid before publication.

Logan McGowan, the general manager for Paul Davis Restoration, has not heard if there will be any government assistance. The restoration company has been helping smoke-damaged homes’ owners navigate insurance claims.

“It’s hard with the smoke and fire loss. Without visual damage, it’s hard to determine costs,” McGowan said.

A wildfire broke out in the Carolina Forest area on Saturday, creeping dangerously close to houses, searing people’s homes, and charring their backyards. The fire raged for several days, with planes and helicopters dropping thousands of gallons of water and hundreds of firefighters working to control the fire.

As of Thursday morning, the Covington Drive Wildfire has reduced “smoldering” with little to no fire activity, said Russell Hubright with the South Carolina Fire Commission.

Thick clouds of smoke infiltrated Carolina Forest houses over the weekend, damaging the buildings with smoke and soot. Since the fires have calmed down, homeowners want to repair the damage and eliminate the lingering odor. The smoke has also caused headaches, sore throats, and exasperated residents’ asthma, multiple people said.

Residents cannot air out their homes by opening windows or doors, as smoke is still outside. Belfor Property Restoration brought in a large air purifier to O’Connor’s house on Tuesday, which helped with the smell, she said.

Several homeowners said insurance would help with the havoc wreaked by smoke. O’Connor and Debra Smith said they’ve been in contact with their insurance companies about repairs.

“I don’t see how you can get (the smell) out on your own,” Smith said.

The Sun News

Emalyn Muzzy is a breaking news reporter for The Sun. She covers everything breaking and everything new in the Myrtle Beach area. She graduated from the University of Minnesota is 2022 with a degree in journalism and Spanish.

MYRTLE BEACH — As the fight against Horry County's 2,000-acre wildfire approaches one week, officials said the fire lines held steady March 6 after the prior day's storms.

The focus now shifts to the gusting winds, which officials hope won't rekindle hot spots in Carolina Forest. However, the March 5 weather wasn't as damaging as feared. State officials said the fire is now 44 percent contained.

"We were a little concerned about the winds that had come in and how that would cause problems with the containment lines. And thankfully that didn't happen," said Russell Hubright, spokesman for the S.C. Forestry Commission. "The Horry Fire Rescue folks put up a drone yesterday afternoon and confirmed that all the lines held and everything was looking good."

The fire ignited last weekend and was likely "human-caused," but authorities don't know exactly how it began. They believe that it wasn't lightning or another natural source. Shortly after 2:30 p.m. March 1, Horry County Fire Rescue was dispatched to a fire behind a house in the area of Tuckahoe Bay, which sits near neighborhoods on the western side of Carolina Forest Boulevard.

The fire forced evacuations from parts of eight communities, though that order was lifted on the afternoon of March 2.

A busy suburb between Myrtle Beach and Conway, the Carolina Forest area received intermittent rain and strong winds on March 5 — part of a large system that impacted the central to eastern United States.

Though the rain provided short-term relief, it wasn't enough to extinguish the wildfire, Hubright said. Also, the winds remain a concern due to the layers of dry organic material on the forest floor.

On March 6, fire crews continued to target hot spots near the Walkers Woods and Avalon neighborhoods. Specifically, Hubright mentioned areas near Tuckahoe Road, Covington Drive and Stoney Falls Boulevard. Those areas saw close calls over the weekend.

"We will be concentrating a lot of activity in that area to make super sure that those smoldering areas get cooled off today," Hubright said, adding that the northeast hot spots in the Lewis Ocean Bay Heritage Preserve do not remain as much of a threat as in past days.

Helicopters and water planes also returned to the skies March 6 in order to provide aerial support.

The Carolina Forest fire remains at 2,059 acres, according to estimates from the forestry commission. The increase in the containment percentage is a sign of officials' confidence in their firefighting strategy, Hubright said.

"That's a matter of not only just establishing the lines, but all the work we've been doing the last few days of reinforcing the lines," he said.

The winds reached speeds of over 20 mph by the afternoon on March 6, but the National Weather Service expected the wind to slow to 5 to 8 mph during the night. Wind speeds are expected to remain less than 10 mph on March 7.

"The wind is not our friend because it fuels more oxygen, and it's actually kind of hindering our air operations today because it's so windy and gusty," Hubright said. "We would love to have some rain."

In the meantime, Horry County officials reopened International Drive, a key connection between Carolina Forest and S.C. Highway 90, on March 5. County officials encourage drivers to be aware while public safety personnel remain active in the area.

"Please be advised that other closures may be necessary should conditions change and/or the wildfire operations evolve," county spokesperson Mikayla Moskov said. "Smoke is still possible in the area as long as fire operations continue."

So far, the fire has not destroyed any homes or businesses and no injuries have been reported.

After the storms passed through South Carolina, state officials lifted a burning ban for every county except Horry and neighboring Georgetown, citing the focus on the Carolina Forest wildfire.

In Horry, four people have been charged with violating the burn ban. Three were issued tickets and the fourth was arrested and booked in the J. Reuben Long Detention Center.

"Reminder, no one has been charged in connection with the Carolina Forest area wildfire," Moskov said. "The fire investigation will occur once the fire is contained and extinguished."

State Forestry Commission investigators are in Carolina Forest this week searching for the fire's origin. And while there were controlled burns for land management in Horry last week, state officials have ruled that out as the source of the fire.

More than 500 first responders are working to contain the blaze.

The first step of any project is just that — the first, a toe in the water to test the temperature.

What happens next — after the glitz and glamor of a successful opening — matters more.

The folks who operate Myrtle Beach’s venture into sponsoring a PGA Tour tournament understand, and they delve into Year Two determined to enhance of their 2024 debut that received solid reviews.

Now, it’s on to 2025. The tournament has a new co-sponsor and a new name — ONEflight Myrtle Beach Classic — and some new wrinkles that include big-name celebrities competing in the Wednesday pro-am.

The dates will be May 8-11 at the Dunes Golf and Beach Club course, one of South Carolina’s treasures, and the Mother’s Day finish provides an obvious opportunity to honor moms in attendance.

There’s more, including family day on Saturday and post-round concerts on Thursday (Chairmen of the Board) and Saturday (Tyler Hubbard).

But the golf is the attraction.

Often called the Golf Capital of the World, the Grand Strand area of South Carolina earned that nickname thanks to tourists flocking to its myriad of courses. But only rarely — a U.S. Women’s Open more than 50 years ago, an LPGA major plus a short-lived LPGA event and the PGA Senior Championship back in the 1990s among a few others — did the area offer high-level professional golf.

That changed with the 2024 Myrtle Beach Classic, a dual-field PGA Tour event that provides playing opportunities for members who do not qualify for the higher-profile Signature tournaments. That means no Scottie Scheffler or Rory McIlroy will be in the field again this year, but that does not mean quality golf will be lacking.

PGA officials never miss an opportunity to emphasize the depth of the Tour’s talent — remember the “These Guys Are Good” slogan — and last May’s Myrtle Beach Classic provides the proof.

Six players who competed here a year ago have combined to win seven PGA Tour tournaments since.

Robert MacIntyre, who tied for 13th in 2024, captured both the RBC Canadian Open and the Scottish Open and is now 19th in the world rankings. In addition, Davis Thompson, Patton Kizzire, Harry Hall, Davis Riley and Joe Highsmith have added Tour titles to their resumes since leaving the Grand Strand.

Chris Gotterup ran away with the title at 22-under-par 262 in the first Myrtle Beach Classic.

“An outlier,” Dennis Nichol, the Dunes’ long time head professional, said. “There were a bunch of guys 15- or 16-under, which is about what we expected.”

Nichol said the rough will probably be a bit longer for this year’s tournament, which will play to par-71 for the pros rather than the usual par-72. For the pros, the second hole will be lengthened and the eighth changes from a short (for the pros) par-5 to a long par-4 that generally plays into the wind.

ONEflight International became a co-sponsor with Visit Myrtle Beach, and the addition of the Denver-based aviation company led to some of the company’s clients participating in the Wednesday Pro-Am. Officials say that Kevin Costner, Kurt Russell and Anthony Anderson have committed to play.

The Myrtle Beach Classic joins the PGA Tour’s RBC Heritage (April 17-20 on Hilton Head Island) and the Korn Ferry Tour’s BMW Charity Pro-Am (June 5-8 in Greer) to give the state high-profile pro golf weeks in successive months.

Tickets for the Myrtle Beach tourney are on sale at www.myrtlebeachclassic.com.

Chip shots. USC shared the team title and the Gamecocks’ Louise Rydqvist tied for individual honors in the Darius Rucker Intercollegiate at Long Cove Club on Hilton Head Island. LSU used a strong finish to tie Carolina, fifth-ranked nationally, for team honors in one of the strongest fields in women’s college golf. Rydqvist and Arkansas’ Kendall Todd finished with matching 1-under-par 212s. ... The Columbia team of Brent Blaum and Stewart Jolly fired a final round of 14-under-par 58 to run away the SCGA’s Partners Championship by five strokes at Spring Valley CC and the WildeWood Club. ... Arrow Aarva Shah (Melbourne, Australia) claimed the boys’ title and Kayla Bryant (Boca Raton, Florida) earned the girls’ crown in the Dustin Johnson World Junior Golf Championship at TPC Myrtle Beach in Murrells Inlet. ... Want a challenge? Try your skills at the South Carolina Golf Association’s fantasy golf challenge at some of pro golf’s top tournaments. Go to www.scgolf.org for details.

This story was originally published March 6, 2025 at 9:37 AM.

A second woman alleges Myrtle Beach pastor John-Paul Miller sexually assaulted her as a teenager and then, with his father, punished her for attempting to alert someone to the abuse.

The lawsuit was filed under the name “Jane Doe 2,” who said while attending Cathedral Hall Academy John-Paul Miller put his hand down her pants and touched her bare butt in 1999. He also is accused of putting his hands under her skirt and shirt on a later date, according to the suit. At the time, John-Paul Miller was working as a teacher and helping run the school with his father.

John-Paul Miller’s lawyer Russell Long declined to comment while the pastor did not respond to a request for comment.

This is the second lawsuit alleging sexual crimes against the Mercy Church pastor. Jane Doe 1 filed the first suit on Feb. 25 claiming that Miller raped her in 1998 and then put his hand down her pants in 2023. Attorneys Randall Hood and Mark Tinsley represent both plaintiffs.

Jane Doe 2 said in 1999 she began attending Cathedral Hall Academy, a private Christian school run by Reginald Wayne Miller, John-Paul Miller’s father, the lawsuit states. Wayne Miller was also named in the lawsuit, as well as the school.

Wayne Miller was previously accused of sexual abuse, The Sun News previously reported.

At the time of the alleged assault, Jane Doe 2 was 14 while John-Paul Miller would have been around 20. After chapel service one day, Jane Doe 2 held the door open until everyone except John-Paul Miller left, the suit said.

The then-20-year-old asked Jane Doe 2 if she wanted to play piano with him, which she agreed to. When she went to leave later, he pulled her into a hug and then put his hand down her pants, touching her bare butt, the lawsuit said.

Jane Doe 2 told a teacher and was sent to Wayne Miller’s office where she found father and son waiting for her. Wayne Miller asked her to repeat her accusations, which Jane Doe 2 did. Wayne Miller shouted, “You will not lie about my son,” the suit said.

The school head punished Jane Doe 2 by making her write, “I will not lie about John-Paul Miller,” 5,000 times.

Following this incident, other students began tormenting Jane Doe 2 by calling her a liar, whore and slut and physically assaulting her, the suit said. Once, a group of girls held her and shoved tissues in her bra while John-Paul Miller laughed. Other students would slap her, yank her hair and shove her into a bathroom stall.

Wayne Miller found Jane Doe 2 crying and told her, “Stop disturbing the Lord’s work” and “Repent for your lies,” the suit said.

When Jane Doe 2 was in ninth grade, John-Paul Miller told her she failed “the test” and told her he could help if she stayed after class, the suit said. She hesitantly obeyed, sitting near the piano.

John-Paul Miller asked her if she liked him and if she had a boyfriend. Then he touched Jane Doe 2’s knee and told her he could protect her if she let him, the suit said.

That’s when John-Paul Miller grabbed her and put his hands under her skirt and shirt. Jane Doe 2 tried to run away but the then-teacher pushed her down, the suit said. She managed to free herself and sprinted outside.

Jane Doe 2 repressed these memories until she heard news of Mica Miller’s suicide, the suit said.

Jane Doe 2 is suing John-Paul Miller, Wayne Miller, Grand Strand Academy, Cathedral Baptist Church of the Grand Strand, All Nations Cathedral Church and Solid Rock Ministries for negligence, civil conspiracy, assault and battery, infliction of emotional distress and violation of the South Carolina Unfair Trade Practices Act. She requested an undetermined amount of damages.

The two lawsuits are just the latest in Miller’s troubles.

Miller has dealt with controversy since his wife, Mica Miller, committed suicide in April 2024. Her family alleges he abused her and caused her death, which he has denied, The Sun News previously reported.

Mica Miller’s death has gained national attention.

Miller also had the FBI search his home last year. It is unknown what the FBI was looking for.

This story was originally published March 5, 2025 at 4:35 PM.

The Sun News

Emalyn Muzzy is a breaking news reporter for The Sun. She covers everything breaking and everything new in the Myrtle Beach area. She graduated from the University of Minnesota is 2022 with a degree in journalism and Spanish.

HORRY COUNTY, S.C. (WBTW) — Embattled Myrtle Beach pastor John-Paul Miller is again being accused of sexually assaulting a young girl, this time when he was teaching at his father’s former Christian school more than 20 years ago.

The 46-page suit filed Wednesday in Horry County Common Pleas Court by Jane Doe #2″ alleges that Miller not only repeatedly groped a girl who was 14 at the time, but humiliated her while encouraging others to do so as well when she tried to report the alleged abuse.

Miller on Feb. 25 was named in a complaint by “Jane Doe #1” that he assaulted her when she was 15 years old, continuing a pattern of “sexual abuse and predatory conduct” that often targeted minors over decades.

The new wave of accusations center around incidents that happened at Cathedral Hall Academy in 1999 — a private Christian school in Myrtle Beach operated by Miller’s father, Reginald “Wayne” Miller.

JP-lawsuit-2Download

John-Paul Miller at the time was 19 and his victim was 14, the suit says. He couldn’t immediately be reached for comment but has refused to speak with News13 multiple times.

“The school was run by pastor Wayne Miller and his son, John-Paul Miller, who portrayed themselves as devout men of God, offering a faith-based education in a nurturing environment,” the lawsuit says. “Instead, Plaintiff walked into a nightmare. Cathedral Hall Academy was not a school. It was a trap.”

With no certified teachers, legitimate coursework or structured academics, the classrooms were carved out of a repurposed bowling alley were incomplete, with uneven, slick floors.

It was in that environment that the torment began for the unidentified woman, according to the suit.

After a morning chapel service, she was asked to hold the door as students departed. John-Paul stayed behind, playing a piano when he asked the girl to join him, the complaint says.

She agreed, and John-Paul pulled her in for a hug when she got up to leave.

“She barely had time to react before JPM’s hands moved down her back, past her waist and under her clothing and touching her bare butt,” the lawsuit says.

The victim wasn’t sure what to do, so reported the action to a teacher. From there, she was sent to Reginald Wayne Miller’s office, where John-Paul was waiting as well.

“RWM demanded she repeat her accusation with his son standing beside him. Jane Doe #2’s voice waved, and she told the truth,” the lawsuit says.

After shouting to her not to lie about his son, Reginald Wayne Miller forced the girl to write “I will not lie about John-Paul Miller” 5,000 times.

The girl soon became a victim of intense bullying that included name calling and, physical assaults and mockery by John-Paul, who was on hand for several of the confrontations — including once when her shirt was ripped open and tissues stuffed into her bra.

“Through it all, JPM was there, smirking, encouraging, watching,” the lawsuit alleges.

His father, who found her crying one day, told her she was disrupting the “Lord’s work” and needed to repent.

“The message was clear. No one would protect her,” the lawsuit claims.

By the time she entered ninth grade, the girl “stopped hoping things would change,” was sexually assaulted again after Miller said she failed a test and needed to stay behind after class for extra help.

At another point, the Jane Doe brought a Harry Potter book to school, which ended up with her being taken back to Reginald Wayne Miller’s office again.

“They berated her, called her a servant of Satan and told her that if she continued down this path, she would be raped by demons,” the lawsuit says.

The Millers then set the book on fire, beat her and poured water over her head. Sixteen at the time, it was her final year at Cathedral Hall Academy.

The Millers and their ministries are being sued on grounds of negligence, civil conspiracy, assault and battery, intentional infliction of emotional distress and violating the South Carolina Fair Trade Practices Act.

Miller has been embroiled in controversy since his wife Mica’s death last April, while he was pastor at Solid Rock Church in The Market Common. Mica’s death at the Lumber River State Park near Lumberton in Robeson County was ruled a suicide, but her family and numerous protestors within the “Justice for Mica” movement have pushed forward with claims that he abused his wife.

John-Paul was jailed on an assault charge in November after an incident near the Solid Rock Church, which has since been closed and sold. Prior to that, the FBI searched his home in the Azalea Lakes neighborhood near Myrtle Beach.

The Millers’ ministry dates back to the early 1970s, when Reginald Miller founded the Florence Tabernacle Church, the lawsuit said. The ministry eventually grew into the Gloryland Bible College and later Cathedral Bible College.

The ministry was relocated to Myrtle Beach in 1993 following allegations of sexual misconduct involving Reginald Miller and students of the college, the lawsuit said. That was followed by the creation of Cathedral Baptist Church.

* * *

Adam Benson joined the News13 digital team in January 2024. He is a veteran South Carolina reporter with previous stops at the Greenwood Index-Journal, Post & Courier and The Sun News in Myrtle Beach. Adam is a Boston native and University of Utah graduate. Follow Adam on X, formerly Twitter, at @AdamNewshound12. See more of his work here.

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