A 70 year-old Colleton County (SC) man and a small dog perished in a morning fire at his residence located at 20438 Augusta Hwy. Friday morning 02-February. At 05:14, a motorist traveling on Augusta Hwy noticed the flames and notified 9-1-1. The home sat off of the roadway, and the caller advised the home was fully involved. Colleton County Fire-Rescue Engine 36 arrived 7 minutes later reporting a fully involved, single-story, brick veneer residential dwelling and that the roof had already collapsed. Engine 36 used the deckgun to knock down the flames while firefighter-paramedics deployed multiple handlines to combat the fire. Firefighters quickly found the man near the front door. A tender shuttle was established for water supply. Crews worked for 25 minutes to bring the fire under control and for several hours to finish overhaul. The coroner’s office was notified and responded to the scene along with State Police (SLED) investigators and personnel from the State Fire Marshal’s Office. Traffic on busy Augusta Hwy was down to one lane for several hours. Firefighters, deputy sheriffs, and SC Highway Patrol detoured traffic for several hours. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
Engine 5, Engine 9, Engine 19, Engine 36, Tender 5, Tender 9, Tender 19, Tender 27, Tender 36, Medic 9, Medic 19, Brush 9, Car 107, Car 112, Car 118, and Battalion 1 responded. Battalion Chief Chris Jones and Chief McRoy operated the Command Post.
Barry W. McRoy, Fire Chief, Colleton County Fire-Rescue
A Colleton County (SC) home was destroyed in an early morning fire Wednesday 24-January. At 04:08, a caller to 9-1-1 reported seeing flames coming from the roof and hearing glass breaking in the two-story, residential structure, located at 262 Lakewood Drive. Firefighters arrived minutes later to find the home fully involved. It had been burning for some time before anyone discovered the fire.
The home was located in the back of the subdivision on the corner of Lakewood Dr and Sangaree Rd. Engine 19 set up on Sangaree while Engine 26 set up on Lakewood. Both units used deckguns on the fire and deployed multiple handlines. Engine 26 used a 3-inch line with a TFT Blitzfire master steam in the backyard, as well as two 1-3/4 handlines. Engine 19 deployed two 1-3/4 handlines and one 2-1/2 handline to the north side of the structure. The entire building collapsed approximately 10 minutes after fire units arrived.
A tender shuttle was established to provide water supply to Engine 26. Tenders pumped truck to truck to supply Engine 19. A second alarm was requested shortly after arrival for additional personnel and tenders. Ladder 19 setup behind Engine 26 on Lakewood Dr. Firefighters worked for over an hour to bring the fire under control and were on the scene for six hours performing overhaul. A small track hoe from the Roads and Bridges Department was brought in to assist firefighters in removing debris during overhaul operations. The home was being renovated and the cause appears to have been electrical in nature.
Engine 1, Engine 19, Engine 26, Tender 1, Tender 4, Tender 5, Tender 19, Tender 26, Tender 27, Ladder 19, Medic 1, Medic 13, Medic 19, Medic 26, Battalion 1, Car 105, Car 112, and Car 118 responded. Battalion Chief Chris Jones served as incident commander.
Barry W. McRoy, Fire Chief, Colleton County Fire-Rescue
