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
An adult female was injured as she narrowly escaped a structure fire Tuesday morning 01-November. At 09:05, Colleton County (SC) Fire-Rescue was alerted for smoke coming from a home at 14436 Lowcountry Hwy. south of Ruffin. Engine 18 arrived to find heavy smoke conditions and flames visible from the south side of the single-story residential structure. Firefighter-Paramedics deployed two handlines and forced entry through the front door. They made an aggressive interior attack stopping the flames from reaching the north end of the building. The kitchen, utility room, and dining room suffered heavy fire damage, with the remainder of the home receiving smoke damage.
The homeowner, who works nights, had placed a load of clothes in the dryer before going to sleep. She was awakened by a popping noise and thick smoke. Being unable to escape through the hall, she was able to jump from a window in the bedroom. During the escape, the woman received a broken arm. No one else was at the home when the fire occurred and there were no working smoke detectors in the residence.
The fire started in the area of the clothes dryer which was located just off of the kitchen. The fire spread through the kitchen into the attic and under the floor. Firefighters used a chainsaw to cut some of the kitchen floor to reach the fire under the building. The woman was treated at the scene, then transported to Colleton Medical Center by Fire-Rescue Medic 13. Fire units were on the scene for four hours. Water supply was conducted with tenders.
Engine 4, Engine 10, Engine 15, Engine 18, Tender 4, Tender 13, Tender 15, Tender 18, Tender 90, Medic 13, Medic 18, Battalion 1 and Car 107 responded. Asst. Chief Marty Stallings served as Incident Commander.
Barry W. McRoy, Fire Chief, Colleton County Fire-Rescue
A Walterboro (SC) family lost their home to an early morning fire Monday, 17-Oct. The fire was reported to 9-1-1 at 02:38 when the family went to a neighbor’s home to ask for help. Colleton County (SC) Fire-Rescue units arrived 8 minutes later to find the single-story dwelling fully involved. All occupants had safely exited the structure.
The home was located well off the roadway and Engine 19 backed down the long driveway. A supply line was stretched to the road so tenders could supply the engine. Firefighter-Paramedics deployed multiple handlines to combat the fire. A blitzfire device was set up in the back of the residence. A second alarm was issued shortly after arrival for additional tenders and personnel.
Crews had the bulk of the fire knocked down within 30 minutes, but were on the scene five hours. The rear of the building was destroyed, with much of the interior being gutted. Most personal items were lost. The home was originally a singlewide mobile home that had been doubled in size and had a roof installed over the original building. This hampered extinguishment due to the multiple walls, ceilings, and double roof. The fire appears to have started in the area of the kitchen in the original structure, which spread to the attic space and into the newer addition. Water supply was handled with a tender shuttle from a pressurized hydrant four blocks from the scene. The Red Cross is assisting the family. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
Engine 1, Engine 19, Tender 1, Tender 9, Tender 19, Tender 26, Medic 1, Medic 9, Medic 19, Battalion 1, Car 12 and Car 118 responded. Battalion Chief Scott O’Quinn served as Incident Commander.
Barry W. McRoy, Fire Chief, Colleton County Fire-Rescue
A Smoak Rd family lost their home in an afternoon fire Sunday 07-August. At 14:52, Colleton County (SC) 9-1-1 operators began receiving reports of explosions and smoke coming from a wooded area in the 1500 block of Smoak Road east of Walterboro. Several callers noted there was a home located down a long dirt driveway. Responding units could see a thick column of black smoke three miles from the scene.
Colleton County Fire-Rescue Medic 1 arrived in the area and had some difficulty locating the residence. The narrow driveway was almost completely obscured by trees and brush. Once on scene, they found a doublewide mobile home fully-involved at 1492 Smoak Road. The roof had already collapsed. Engine 19 initially used a deck gun to knock down most of the fire and deployed two 1-3/4 handlines to extinguish the remaining flames. Firefighters had the fire under control in about 20 minutes, but were on the scene for two hours performing overhaul.
No one was home when the fire occurred, but crews were able to make contact with the homeowner. She advised earlier in the day, the power in the home had been flickering. She left approximately an hour prior to the fire being reported. Water supply was conducted with tenders.
Engine 19, Engine 27, Tender 1, Tender 9, Tender 19, Tender 26, Tender 27, Medic 1, Medic 26, Battalion 1 and Car 12 responded. Firefighter-Paramedic Zack Huber served as Incident Commander.
Barry W. McRoy, Fire Chief, Colleton County Fire-Rescue
A Renee Court home was destroyed in a Saturday evening blaze 23-Janaury. At 20:34, several callers reported seeing flames coming from a residence near the intersection of Robertson Blvd and Renee Court south of Walterboro. Colleton County Fire-Rescue (SC) Car 118 arrived four minutes later to find the single-story, wooden structure fully-involved. Engine 1 initially used a deck gun to knock down the flames while crews deployed handlines to the building. Two 1-3/4 handlines were used to extinguish the fire. The back of the building had already collapsed prior to arrival indicating the building had been burning for some time before anyone reported the fire. It took approximately 15 minutes to bring the fire under control. Firefighters were on the scene for 2 hours performing overhaul. Water supply was conducted with tenders. No one was at home when the fire occurred and the cause is under investigation.
Engine 1, Engine 26, Tender 1, Tender 19, Tender 27, Medic 1, Battalion 1, and Car 118 responded. Battalion Chief Scott Feather served as Incident Commander.
Barry W. McRoy, Fire Chief, Colleton County Fire-Rescue
A singlewide mobile home suffered extensive damage in an early morning structure fire at 78 Shadow Court on Friday morning 30-October. At 03:27, 9-1-1 operators received several reports of fire coming from a residence at the end of Shadow Court, a small mobile home park located off the 1800 block of Jefferies Hwy north of Walterboro. Colleton County (SC) Fire-Rescue Engine 19 arrived minutes later to find the singlewide mobile home approximately 40% involved with two nearby mobile homes endangered. Firefighter-paramedics deployed two 1-3/4 handlines to the structure, initially making an exterior attack, while other crewmembers breached the front door. One handline was used to protect the exposures until the flames were diminished. They had the bulk of the fire knocked down within 10 minutes, but were on the scene performing overhaul for about 1-1/2 hours. The north end of the building was completely destroyed, while the remainder of the building received heat and smoke damage. No one was at home when the fire occurred. Water supply was conducted with the use of tenders pumping to Engine 19. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
Engine 19, Engine 26, Tender 1, Tender 19, Tender 26, Medic 19, Battalion 1 and Car 12 responded. Battalion Chief Brent Dalton served as Incident Commander.
Barry W. McRoy, Fire Chief, Colleton County Fire-Rescue
A large Ruffin (SC) home was destroyed in an evening fire Saturday 24-October. At 21:38, off-duty Colleton County (SC) Fire-Rescue Deputy Chief Greene and his family were returning from a church function, driving east on Bells Highway (SC Hwy 64), when Chief Greene saw a large fire across a field located behind the Ruffin Farm Supply. He notified Central Communications over his portable radio and began trying to locate an access to the fire. After a few minutes he determined the home was off the end of Smokey Bear Lane, a private dirt road east of Ruffin Farm Supply. The approximately 3700-square-foot home was fully-involved and the roof had already collapsed. Engine 18 arrived minutes later and deployed a deck gun and multiple 2-1/2 and 1-3/4 handlines in an effort to knock down the fire and protect two exposures, a stable containing horses and a storage building, near the residence.
Barry W. McRoy photo
Barry W. McRoy photo
A second alarm was issued shortly after arrival. A water shuttle operation was established for water supply, using a drop-tank and eight, 3000-gallon tenders. Water was obtained from a pressurized hydrant located at Bells Crossroads about ¾ mile from the scene. Engine 23 was later set up on the “B” side of the building and used its deck gun and one handline. Engine 23 was supplied through 3-inch lines from two tenders. Crews worked for 35 minutes to contain the blaze, hampered by 40-foot sheets of metal roofing which had to be removed to reach the fire underneath.
Barry W. McRoy photo
Barry W. McRoy photo
Units were on the scene for over three hours performing overhaul. The home was a total loss, but no injuries were reported. The fire appears to have started in the area of the clothes dryer. The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
Barry W. McRoy photo
Engine 10, Engine 18, Engine 15, Engine 23, Tender 4, Tender 7, Tender 15, Tender 17, Tender 18, Tender 23, Tender 26, Tender 27, Medic 13, Medic 18, Medic 26, Battalion 1 and Car 12 responded. Deputy Chief David Greene served as Incident Commander.
