Harold Buzzell

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A Prairie Lane residence in Colleton County SC, was destroyed in an evening fire Monday night 14-March at 20:45. The homeowner advised he’d heard noises and opened the back door to find the rear porch engulfed in flames. He was able to get the family safely out of the home and notify 9-1-1.

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Harold Buzzell photo

Colleton County Fire-Rescue Car 103 arrived to find the single-family dwelling fully involved, with the roof already collapsed in the center. Engine 19 deployed multiple handlines and used the deck gun on the fire. Firefighters had the blaze under control in about 30 minutes, but were on the scene for three and half hours performing overhaul. Water supply was handled with renders.

Two vehicles parked near the home were damaged, and two rooms on the north end of the building were left standing, but the interior of the rooms were gutted. The remainder of the home was destroyed and the family lost all of their belongings. The Red Cross is assisting the family. The cause of the fire appears to be electrical in nature. No one was injured.

Engine 9, Engine 19, Engine 26, Tender 5, Tender 9, Tender 19, Tender 26, Tender 27, Medic 9, Medic 19, Battalion 1, Car 103, Car 112, and Car 118 responded. Captain Roger Johnston served as Incident Commander. 

Barry W. McRoy

Fire Chief, Colleton County Fire-Rescue

#firescenes.net; #BarryMcRoy; #ColletonCountyFireRescue; #firefighters; #totallyengulfed
Barry McRoy photo
#firescenes.net; #BarryMcRoy; #ColletonCountyFireRescue; #firefighters; #totallyengulfed
Barry McRoy photo
#firescenes.net; #BarryMcRoy; #ColletonCountyFireRescue; #EONEStrength; #totallyengulfed
Barry McRoy photo
#firescenes.net; #BarryMcRoy; #ColletonCountyFireRescue; #firefighters; #totallyengulfed
Barry McRoy photo
#firescenes.net; #BarryMcRoy; #ColletonCountyFireRescue; #EONEStrength
Barry McRoy photo

One man was transported to the hospital and a family was displaced after a fire occurred in their home at 25 Twin Oaks Lane north of Walterboro (SC), Wednesday night 18-December. At 23:15, 9-1-1 was notified of the fire inside the building. The caller advised the fire was in a bedroom, but everyone had safely exited the residence. Colleton County Fire-Rescue Engine 19 arrived minutes later to find smoke coming from the singlewide mobile home and fire visible through a bedroom window.

mobile home engulfed in fire at night
Harold Buzzell photo
flames and smoke from mobile home on fire
Harold Buzzell photo

Firefighter-Paramedics deployed two handlines to the building and forced entry through a rear door. They were met with heavy fire conditions as flames exited through the utility room. Crews were able to quickly knock down the flames and enter the structure, containing the fire to the bedroom. The remainder of the home suffered smoke and heat damage, but many personal items, including many Christmas gifts were saved. The master bedroom and adjacent utility room received substantial damage.

Colleton County fire trucks on scene
Harold Buzzell photo

The occupant advised she was awakened by a popping sound, just prior to the smoke alarms alerting. She found the bedroom on fire near a space heater. She woke the other occupants and gathered a baby from another room and all of them safely exited the home into the 25 degree night. They sat in a vehicle to stay warm. Firefighter-Paramedics treated an adult male for respiratory problems resulting from smoke inhalation. He was transported in stable condition to Colleton Medical Center by Fire-Rescue Medic 26. Crews had the fire under control within 20 minutes and were on the scene for 2-1/2 hours performing overhaul. The fire appears to have started near a space heater in the master bedroom. It was one of four space heaters in use at the residence. Water supply was conducted with Tenders. The Red Cross is assisting the family. 

Colleton County Fire Rescue firefighter
Harold Buzzell photo
Colleton County Fire Rescue fire scene
Harold Buzzell photo

Engine 19, Engine 26, Tender 1, Tender 19, Tender 26, Tender 27, Medic 19, Medic 26, Battalion 1, Car 105, Car 112 and Car 118 responded. Battalion Chief Scott O’Quinn served as Incident Commander. 

Photos by Harold Buzzell

Barry W. McRoy,Fire Chief, Colleton County Fire-Rescue

At 18:54 on 12/12/19, a passerby reported to 9-1-1 that a building on the property of Clean Management at 915 Industrial Road north of Walterboro was on fire, with flames coming from the building. Colleton County (SC) Fire-Rescue Engine 19, stationed less than a mile away, arrived within minutes, to find heavy fire conditions in a storage and processing building. Most of the structure was a large open air canopy style building used for storing and neutralizing industrial waste. The building also contained several offices, file, and break rooms. The building contained hundreds of 55-gallon steel drums and plastic containers of varying products. First arriving units requested a second alarm, then deployed multiple 2-1/2 and 1-3/4 handlines. Two drop tanks were set up for water supply with tenders shuttling water for the firefighting effort. Firefighters cut a section from the fence surrounding the property to gain access to the building and forced entry through the front and a side door.

Colleton County SC Fire Rescue battle commercial fire at night
Harold Buzzell photo
Colleton County SC Fire Rescue battle commercial fire at night
Harold Buzzell photo

Crews worked for 40 minutes to gain control of the fire and were at the scene for five hours performing overhaul. Much of the product was saved, but the building suffered extensive damage. The area over the offices also received heavy damage, but the interior of the building was saved, receiving mostly smoke and water damage. Several pieces of heavy equipment were also destroyed or damaged in the fire. Two firefighters were transported to Colleton Medical Center for evaluation following exposure to one of the substances, upon the recommendation of Chemtrec. Both were treated and released the following morning. Viewing surveillance video, it appears the fire started near a piece of heavy equipment parked in the middle of the facility about 30 minutes after the business closed. The fire quickly spread from there to the other parts of the building. 

Colleton County SC Fire Rescue battle commercial fire at night
Harold Buzzell photo
Colleton County SC Fire Rescue battle commercial fire at night
Harold Buzzell photo
Colleton County SC Fire Rescue battle commercial fire at night
Harold Buzzell photo
Colleton County SC Fire Rescue battle commercial fire at night
Harold Buzzell photo
Colleton County SC Fire Rescue battle commercial fire at night
Harold Buzzell photo

Engine 19, Engine 26, Engine 27, Tender 1, Tender 5, Tender 9, Tender 19, Tender 26, Tender 27, Tender 32, Tender 36, Ladder 19, Medic 1, Medic 9, Medic 19, Medic 26, Battalion 1, Car 104, Car 105, Car 107, Car 112 and Car 118 responded. Battalion Chief Scott O’Quinn and Captain Janey Laney operated the Command Post.  SCDHEC and the Sheriff’s Office assisted at the scene. 

Photos by Harold Buzzell

Barry W. McRoy, Fire Chief, Colleton County Fire-Rescue

A Morris Circle home received substantial damage in a mid-day fire Monday 26-March. At 11:51, 9-1-1 operators began receiving multiple reports of a fire in the residence located at 136 Morris Circle south of Walterboro. Colleton County (SC) Fire-Rescue Engine 1 arrived minutes later to find the one-story structure with heavy smoke visible. Flames were coming from the roof and out of several windows on both sides of the building. A second mobile home, located approximately 20 feet away was endangered. Firefighters deployed multiple handlines to the building and protected the exposure. The structure was originally a wooden home that over the years had received several additions. At some point a singlewide mobile home was connected to the structure. Additional siding wrapped both structures and a second roof was added over the existing roofs. This presented problems for crews working to extinguish the fire. Firefighter-paramedics worked for about 35 minutes to gain control of the fire. Power tools and a K-12 circular saw were used to remove the front of the structure, the rear wall, and a portion of the side wall to allow firefighters access to the burning areas and some void spaces. Once the fire was knocked down, crews spent over four hours performing overhaul. No one was at home when the fire occurred. The occupant advised there was a wood burning stove inside the residence and a kerosene heater. The entire structure was gutted. The fire displaced a woman and seven children. The Red Cross is assisting the family. Water supply was handled with a water shuttle with tenders pumping directly to Engine 1. The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

Engine 1, Engine 26, Tender 1, Tender 19, Tender 26, Tender 27, Rescue 1, Medic 1, Medic 9, Medic 19, Battalion 1, Car 107, Car 112 and Car 116 responded. Battalion Chief Brent Dalton served as Incident Commander.

Barry W. McRoy, Fire Chief, Colleton County Fire-Rescue

heavy smoke and flames from mobile home on fire

Barry McRoy photo

heavy smoke and flames from mobile home on fire

Barry McRoy photo

heavy smoke and flames from mobile home on fire

Barry McRoy photo

heavy smoke and flames from mobile home on fire

Barry McRoy photo

heavy smoke from mobile home on fire

Barry McRoy photo

heavy smoke and flames from mobile home on fire

Barry McRoy photo

E-ONE fire engine at fire scene

Barry McRoy photo

heavy smoke from mobile home on fire

Barry McRoy photo

heavy smoke from mobile home on fire

Barry McRoy photo

heavy smoke from mobile home on fire

Barry McRoy photo

Firefighter battles mobile home fire

Barry McRoy photo

heavy smoke from mobile home on fire

Barry McRoy photo

Firefighters overhaul mobile home fire

Harold Buzzell photo

Firefighters overhaul mobile home fire

Harold Buzzell photo

Firefighters overhaul mobile home fire

Harold Buzzell photo

 

At 06:38 Tuesday morning 27-Februaury, Colleton County (SC) 9-1-1 received a report of a fire in the gym of the former Cottageville School located at 72 Salley Ackerman Drive in the Town of Cottageville. The array of four former school buildings makes up the Cottageville Municipal Complex. The two older brick veneer buildings which were constructed in the 1930s, consisted of a 10,200 square foot two-story gym and a 200’ long, 11,500 square foot adjacent main school building which was once used as classrooms. Both buildings have been vacant for nearly a decade and were used for storage by the town. Two other smaller, more modern buildings are used as municipal offices, the police dept, and a public library. A construction crew who was arriving to work constructing a town park, noticed smoke coming from the gym. Upon inspection, they found flames coming from the rear windows on the first and second floors.

Colleton County Fire-Rescue Engine 9, stationed a mile away, arrived within minutes to find the building heavily involved, with flames and heavy smoke coming from most of the building. They requested a second alarm and deployed multiple handlines to the structure. The fire was already impinging on the large classroom building which only had a few feet of separation by a covered breezeway.  Battalion Chief Feather arrived 10 minutes later in Car 118 and assumed command of the fire. He requested a third alarm and noted the turbine vents along the length of the roof of the classroom building had already begun to melt and were emitting heavily charged black smoke. Firefighters deployed lines into the classroom building, but the ceilings on the north end of the building were already beginning to fail, with fire dropping to the interior of the building. Firefighters were evacuated from the inside of the structure as flames began to run the roof line. The fire spread quickly through the old wooden structure.

The rural Cottageville Community does not have a water system, so three separate water shuttle operations were initiated. Two ponds equipped with dry fire hydrants were utilized in the Cottageville area and one group of tenders was sent to refill at pressurized hydrants at the airport industrial park near Walterboro, 12 miles away. Engine 6 setup a fill site on Whites Ave two miles away and Engine 35 setup a fill site at the sand pits off of Peirce Road four miles from the scene. Drop tanks were used in front of the gym (Alpha Side) to supply Engine 2 and Ladder 6. A second drop tank was used on the east (Charlie) side of the building to supply Engine 27 and Ladder 19. A third drop tank was used on Salley Ackerman Drive to supply Engine 9. Battalion Chief Dalton and Firefighter-Paramedic Robert Gregory coordinated water supply with 17 Colleton tenders shuttling water from the three locations for approximately seven hours. Cottageville Police units and sheriff’s deputies blocked off roads leading to the scene, to keep lanes open for the tenders. One lane of Cottageville Hwy (US Hwy 17-A) was used as a staging area for tenders. As the water supply needs increased, a fourth alarm for additional tenders was issued. Command was transferred to Deputy Chief Greene. B/C Feather was moved to Alpha Operations and B/C Sheffield was assigned to Charlie Operations.  Crews on the east (Charlie) side of the fire buildings protected exposures and saved the two municipal office buildings. One building did suffer heat damage to the windows and siding.

Both fire buildings were a total loss, including all of the stored materials, the municipal Christmas and Halloween decorations, lawn maintenance equipment, and police equipment. A contractor with a large track hoe was brought in during the afternoon to remove debris to allow firefighters to complete overhaul of the buildings. The remaining brick veneer walls were pushed in for safety concerns. The fire did spread to a wooded area behind the school and a State Forestry Commission Tractor responded to cut a fire line around the back of the building. The woods fire was quickly contained. Due to the structure being a municipal building, South Carolina State Police arson investigators were brought in to investigate the cause of the fire. Five investigators and an arson dog worked at the scene for six hours. Cottageville Mayor Tim Grimsley, several municipal leaders and employees were on the scene for the duration of the event. The town and many citizens brought food and drinks to firefighters and law enforcement officers working the fire. Fire units were cleared up from the fire by 17:00. The cause of the fire is still under investigation. One firefighter suffered heat exhaustion and was treated at the scene. He did not require transportation to the hospital. Deputy Chief Greene, B/C Dalton, B/C Jones, and Chief McRoy operated the Command Post.

Engine 2, Engine 6, Engine 9, Engine 13, Engine 27, Engine 35, Tender 1, Tender 2, Tender 4, Tender 6, Tender 7, Tender 9, Tender 12, Tender 13, Tender 15, Tender 18, Tender 19, Tender 26, Tender 27, Tender 32, Tender 34, Tender 36, Tender 90, Ladder 6, Ladder 19, Rescue 1, Medic 1, Medic 6, Medic 7, Medic 9, Medic 19, Brush 2, Brush 6, Brush 9, Battalion 1, Car 105, Car 109, Car 110, Car 111, Car 112, Car 118, Car 119, Fleet 2 and the Forestry Commission responded.

Barry W. McRoy, Fire Chief, Colleton County Fire-Rescue

4-Alarm fire in Cottageville South Carolina

Shane Weber photo

4-Alarm fire in Cottageville South Carolina

4-Alarm fire in Cottageville South Carolina

Barry McRoy photo

4-Alarm fire in Cottageville South Carolina

Barry McRoy photo

4-Alarm fire in Cottageville South Carolina

Barry McRoy photo

4-Alarm fire in Cottageville South Carolina

Barry McRoy photo

4-Alarm fire in Cottageville South Carolina

Harold Buzzell photo

4-Alarm fire in Cottageville South Carolina

Harold Buzzell photo

4-Alarm fire in Cottageville South Carolina

Harold Buzzell photo

4-Alarm fire in Cottageville South Carolina

Harold Buzzell photo

4-Alarm fire in Cottageville South Carolina

Harold Buzzell photo

4-Alarm fire in Cottageville South Carolina

Harold Buzzell photo

4-Alarm fire in Cottageville South Carolina

Harold Buzzell photo

4-Alarm fire in Cottageville South Carolina

Harold Buzzell photo

4-Alarm fire in Cottageville South Carolina

Barry McRoy photo

A Ruffin family was displaced following an afternoon fire that destroyed half of their home Wednesday, 27-September. At 17:05, Colleton County (SC) Fire-Rescue was notified of the incident when a neighbor noticed flames coming from the roof of the home at 413 Double Churches Road. Engine 18 arrived minutes later to find heavy fire conditions on the west side of the single-story, residential dwelling. The roof over the garage had already collapsed.

Firefighter-Paramedics deployed two 1-3/4 handlines and forced entry through the front door. Crews made an aggressive interior attack and stopped the spread of the fire approximately half the way through the residence. The fire was under control within 25 minutes.

A search of the building found no occupants, however two canines perished in the fire. Firefighters buried the animals for the homeowner. The fire appears to have started in the area of the electrical panel in the garage. It moved into the attic from the garage. Firefighters stopped the fire approximately midway through the home, saving the rooms on the east side of the structure and some personal items. The remainder of the home suffered smoke, heat and water damage. Water supply was handled with a water shuttle using tenders. Fire units were on the scene for four hours.

Engine 18, Engine 26, Tender 4, Tender 7, Tender 18, Tender 26, Tender 27, Medic 18, Medic 26, Battalion 1, Car 105, Car 112 and Car 119 responded. Battalion Chief Brent Dalton served as Incident Commander.

Barry McRoy

Colleton County fire truck on scene

Barry McRoy photo

Firefighters overhaul after a house fire

Barry McRoy photo

Firefighters overhaul after a house fire

Barry McRoy photo

Firefighters overhaul after a house fire

Barry McRoy photo

Colleton County fire trucks on scene

Barry McRoy photo

Firefighters overhaul after a house fire

Harold Buzzell photo

A Springtown (SC) home was heavily damaged in an afternoon fire Sunday 05-February. At 18:32, Colleton 9-1-1 operators received multiple reports of a building on fire at 8947 Augusta Hwy. (SC Hwy 61). Callers reported fire coming from the back and roof of the building with several nearby homes endangered.

Colleton County Fire-Rescue Battalion 1 arrived 7 minutes later to find the single-story, wood-frame dwelling heavily involved with fire visible from the roof and most of the rear of the structure in flames. Engine 26 arrived a short time later and deployed two 1-3/4″ handlines. One crew protected an exposure, a doublewide mobile home 35 feet west of the building, while a second crew forced entry through the front door.

Firefighter-Paramedics made an aggressive attack on the fire quickly bringing it under control within 15 minutes. The home suffered heavy damage during the fire, however one room and its contents were saved with little damage. Some personal items were also saved. Damage to the doublewide mobile home next door was minimal with only the vinyl siding being damaged. A car on the other side of the structure also received minor damage. The remaining two nearby structures were not damaged. Water supply was handled with a tender shuttle. No one was injured during the incident. Sheriff’s deputies detoured traffic on Augusta Hwy for two hours. The Red Cross is assisting the family.

Engine 5, Engine 7, Engine 26, Tender 5, Tender 7, Tender 26, Tender 32, Tender 36, Medic 26, Battalion 1, and Car 118 responded. Battalion Chief Brent Dalton served as Incident Commander.

Photos by Harold Buzzell

Barry W. McRoy, Fire Chief, Colleton County Fire-Rescue

rural house engulfed in flames at night

Harold Buzzell photo

firefighter battles rural house fire at night

Harold Buzzell photo

firefighter battles final house fire

Harold Buzzell photo

E-ONE fire engine drafts from portable tank at house fire

Barry McRoy photo

firefighters survey aftermath of house fire

Barry McRoy photo