Colleton County (SC) Firefighter-Paramedics saved a Francis Street home Monday afternoon 23-November. At 12:51, a caller to 9-1-1 reported a fire in the home. The family was able to safely exit the structure prior to the arrival of firefighters.
Barry McRoy photo
Engine 19 found moderate smoke conditions on arrival. The Incident Commander had determined the fire was heaviest in an attached utility room at the rear of the single-story, brick veneer dwelling. The fire also appeared to have entered the attic. One crew was directed to attack the utility room, while a second crew was sent inside to battle the fire in the attic. A third crew safely salvaged the family’s Christmas gifts.
Barry McRoy photo
Barry McRoy photo
The fire appears to have been electrical in nature and destroyed the utility room and contents. Interior crews pulled ceiling in the kitchen and were able to stop the spread of the fire above. Most of the personal belongings inside the home were saved, receiving light smoke damage. Fire units were on the scene for two hours. The Red Cross is assisting the family of five and the Sheriff’s Office assisted at the scene. Engine 1, Engine 19, Tender 1, Tender 19, Tender 26, Tender 27, Medic 1, Medic 19, Battalion 1, Car 101, Car 112, Car 118, and Car 119 responded. Battalion Chief Chris Jones served as Incident Commander.
Barry McRoy photo
Barry McRoy photo
Fire Chief Barry W. McRoy, Colleton County Fire-Rescue
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.
Harold Buzzell photo
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.
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.
Harold Buzzell photo
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
An Islandton, SC home was heavily damaged in an afternoon fire in the 100 block of Cayman Lane Friday afternoon 06-December. At 14:08, the occupant was asleep and was awakened by smoke in the home. Upon investigation, he found a large fire in the kitchen. The man was able to escape without injury and called 9-1-1. Colleton County (SC) Fire-Rescue Engine 15 arrived a short time later to find the home approximately 50% involved with heavy fire conditions at the rear of the one-story, wood frame residence.
Barry McRoy photo
Barry McRoy photo
Barry McRoy photo
Firefighter-Paramedics deployed two handlines to the building. Crews had the fire knocked down within 15 minutes leaving about half the building still standing, however the interior suffered extensive damage. Most personal items were destroyed. Fire units were on the scene for 2-1/2 hours performing overhaul. The fire appears to have been electrical in nature and started near the electrical service and breaker box at the rear of the home before spreading into the attic. Water supply was conducted with tenders. The Red Cross is assisting the family.
Barry McRoy photo
Barry McRoy photo
Engine 15, Engine 18, Tender 4, Tender 15, Tender 18, Tender 27, Tender 29, Medic 1, Medic 13, Medic 18, Battalion 1, Car 112, Car 118, and Car 119 responded. Captain Matt Owens Williams, Jr. served as Incident Commander.
Barry W. McRoy – Fire Chief – Colleton County Fire-Rescue
A multi-vehicle MVC on I-95, sent two people to the hospital Wednesday morning 04-December at 03:24. The accident occurred in Colleton County (SC) near the 55 mile marker northbound, west of Walterboro, when a northbound Peterbilt tractor trailer lost control while traveling at a high rate of speed. The truck entered the median and struck multiple trees, causing one pine tree to fall across the northbound lanes of the Interstate.
Barry McRoy photo
The truck overturned and came to rest approximately 30 feet into the wooded area. The cab suffered massive damage and was in several pieces. The engine and entire drive train were ejected from the chassis, landing approximately 60 feet away. The hot engine started a woods fire. The bulk of the cab was wrapped around a tree with the steering wheel on one side and the driver’s seat on the other. The truck driver was trapped in the seat. He suffered multiple traumatic injuries and was in critical condition. The truck’s saddle tanks ruptured soaking the scene and the patient with diesel fuel.
Barry McRoy photo
Barry McRoy photo
The truck was hauling an intermodal tank which was labeled with a placard indicating it contained diesel fuel, however it was later found to be improperly labeled and contained hazardous chemicals. The tank was not breached and did not leak any contents.
Barry McRoy photo
Shortly after the truck crashed, a northbound Ford F150 pickup struck the fallen tree causing the driver to lose control. The pickup truck entered the median, struck several trees and also overturned north of the burning woods. The driver was wearing a seatbelt and received only minor injuries.
A passenger car then struck the tree and also entered the median and struck several trees. The two occupants were not injured. Shortly thereafter a second semitruck struck the fallen tree. He was able to stop in the breakdown lane. The driver was not injured.
A third semi-truck struck the tree, but was able to stop which blocked the highway and prevented other vehicles from striking the tree. The occupants of the second and third trucks ran to assist the injured people. 9-1-1 was flooded with reports of the accident.
Colleton County Fire-Rescue units arrived on the dark stretch of Interstate to find multiple vehicles stopped around the scene, tree pieces and wood debris scattered around the roadway, the woods in the median on fire, and several vehicles in the median.
Barry McRoy photo
Firefighter-Paramedics immediately requested additional personnel and apparatus to respond to the scene. Crews began checking on the vehicles and the wooded area for patients. A handline was deployed from Engine 1 to extinguish the fire and lighting was set up to illuminate the accident site. The critically injured truck driver was located, trapped in the wreckage. He was making attempts to get out of the damaged cab. Firefighter-Paramedics placed a medical helicopter on standby and deployed Holmatro Rescue Tools to the truck. Crews were able to use hand tools and worked the man free from the remains of the cab. They treated his severe injuries and controlled the bleeding, then transported him emergent in Fire-Rescue Medic 1 to the helipad at Colleton Medical Center to meet with the C.A.R.E. Flight crew.
The patient was soaked in diesel fuel and could not be flown in the helicopter. The Flight Crew then rode in Medic 1 to assist with patient care while the patient was transported emergent to the Trauma Center at MUSC in Charleston.
Barry McRoy photo
The driver of the Ford pickup truck was transported to Colleton Medical Center by Fire-Rescue Medic 26. No other patients required ambulance transport to a medical facility. Traffic on I-95 northbound in the area of the accident was completely blocked. Sheriff’s deputies shutdown the northbound lanes of the Interstate at Exit 53, detouring traffic to Sniders Hwy (SC Hwy. 63). While working the traffic assignment, a northbound tractor trailer struck a Sheriff’s vehicle, totaling the fully marked Dodge Charger. The deputy was not in the car and was able to run out of the way to avoid injury. Traffic remained heavy through Walterboro most of the morning as detoured vehicles slowly made their way through town. Recovery crews and SCDOT worked all morning to clear the accident site. The SC Highway Patrol and State Transport Police are investigating the crash.
Engine 1, Rescue 1, Medic 1, Medic 26, Battalion 1, Car 27, Car 112 and Car 118 responded. Battalion Chief Brent Dalton served as Incident Commander.
Barry W. McRoy –Fire Chief Colleton County Fire-Rescue
A 28,000 sq. ft. home at Myrtle Grove Plantation was destroyed in an evening fire Wednesday 05-September in rural Colleton County (SC). At 18:29, 9-1-1 dispatchers received a report from an occupant at the residence located at 6938 White Hall Road advising that an A/C unit in the basement was on fire. The caller noted everyone was safely out of the building. The large home, which was constructed about ten years ago, is located at the end of a single lane, 1-1/2 mile long dirt road overlooking the Combahee River. Engine 6 and Car 107 were the first units to arrive and found that fire apparatus could not travel the road due to low hanging trees. Firefighters used chain saws to cut the tree limbs as they traveled down the small road trying to reach the fire. Crews had to stop five times to cut away the low hanging tree limbs before they could reach the scene. This delayed units reaching the fire and aerial apparatus could not access the scene.
After arriving at the end of the road, a large oak tree blocked access to the home. The residence is located in a non-hydranted area. Engine 2 established a water supply point at a large pond on the property and drafted water from the pond to refill tenders. Once on scene, firefighter-paramedics found heavy black smoke coming from the interior of the building. Flames were visible on the first and second floors at the rear of the structure. Firefighters deployed multiple handlines to the main building. Due the access problems, crews extended 3-inch lines to the building, gating them off to 1-3/4” lines and 2-1/2” lines to attack the fire. Firefighters protected exposures on one of the wings.
A second alarm was issued shortly after arrival. The fire quickly spread through the structure and interior conditions deteriorated forcing a defensive attack on the fire. The basement extended under the entire building, allowing the fire to reach all areas under the residence which was inaccessible to firefighters. Ground master stream devices were set up in the front lawn. A third alarm was requested about thirty minutes later and mutual-aid for personnel was requested from nearby Sheldon Fire Dept. in Beaufort County. Additional off-duty personnel were also recalled. Two water shuttle operations were established with tenders supplying Engine 6 near the residence and Engine 25 to the east of the home.
As news of the fire reached the public, onlookers came to the scene, blocking the only single lane access road. Several people walked ½ a mile to view the fire leaving their vehicles on the causeway near the water supply point. This prevented all additional responding fire apparatus from reaching the scene. Incoming firefighters then had to walk the same ½ mile to begin to assist at the scene. It took over thirty minutes to locate the drivers to have the vehicles moved. Sheriff’s deputies eventually blocked the entrance to the plantation, allowing only fire units access to the property. The fire eventually destroyed the entire structure. Firefighters worked through the night and early morning to extinguish the large fire. Fire crews were at the scene for 13 hours. One firefighter was injured and transported to Colleton Medical Center for treatment. He was released early Thursday morning and should be able to return to duty within a week.
Engine 1, Engine 2, Engine 6, Engine 13, Engine 19, Engine 25, Tender 1, Tender 2, Tender 6, Tender 8, Tender 9, Tender 12, Tender 13, Tender 19, Tender 21, Tender 25, Tender 26, Tender 27, Tender 32, Medic 1, Medic 6, Medic 9, Medic 13, Medic 19, Battalion 1, Car 107, Car 112, Car 118 and Fleet 2 responded. Asst. Chief Marty Stallings, Battalion Chief Scott O’Quinn and Firefighter-EMT Shane Weber operated the Command Post. Captain Michael Banks coordinated water supply.
Barry W. McRoy, Fire Chief, Colleton County Fire-Rescue
Two adults and two children narrowly escaped an early morning fire at 413 Azalea Drive Tuesday morning 05-June. At 03:48, 9-1-1 received a report from a resident on Tulip Drive, one block from the scene, advising he could see flames coming from the roof of a house on Azalea Drive. While Fire-Rescue units were enroute, the occupants of the home were awaken by the smoke inside the house. The adults quickly awakened the children and all four occupants climbed out of the master bedroom window to safety. The home did not have any working smoke detectors. After escaping, the family called 9-1-1, providing the correct address.
Colleton County (SC) Engine 26 arrived a short time later reporting flames coming from the roof over the garage and heavy smoke conditions throughout the single-story, residential dwelling. Firefighter-paramedics verified with the occupants that everyone was safely out of the home. Crews deployed multiple hand lines to the building, with one crew attacking the fire through the garage and a second crew forcing entry through the front door. The fire had entered the kitchen area from the garage, but interior crews quickly gained control of the fire.
The flames had also spread through the attic, burning over the bedrooms. Firefighters pulled the ceiling in several rooms to reach the flames and extinguish the fire. It was contained mostly to the garage, kitchen, and attic. The majority of the structure and most personal items in the remainder of the home were saved. No injuries were reported. Water supply was conducted using tenders who supplied Engine 26. The fire appears to have originated in the utility room off of the garage and is believed to have been electrical in nature. Units were on the scene for four hours.
Engine 26, Engine 27, Tender 1, Tender 4, Tender 5, Tender 19, Tender 26, Tender 27, Medic 19, Medic 26, Battalion 1, Car 112, and Car 118 responded. Captain Brian Rowe served as Incident Commander.
Barry W. McRoy, Fire Chief, Colleton County Fire-Rescue
Colleton County (SC) firefighters saved a home at 315 Enterprise Street Friday morning 04-May. At 08:27, Colleton 9-1-1 received a report that the home was on fire and the caller could see flames coming from a window. Engine 19 arrived to find the single-story, residential dwelling with heavy smoke visible and flames on the Delta side and in the attic. Crews forced entry through the front door and deployed two 1-3/4 handlines to the interior of the building. They made a rapid search of the building to insure no one was inside. Conditions quickly worsened as two rooms flashed over and both interior crews were evacuated from the building. Firefighters began an exterior attack on the fire and after knocking down the flames, reentered the structure to extinguish the remainder of the fire. They had the fire under control within 20 minutes, saving most of the structure. Two rooms and a portion of the attic suffered heavy fire damage, but the remainder of the home suffered smoke and heat damage. No one was injured in the fire. Water supply was handled with tenders pumping truck to truck. The cause of the fire is under investigation. Units were on the scene for three hours.
Engine 1, Engine 19, Tender 1, Tender 19, Tender 26, Tender 27, Medic 1, Medic 19, Battalion 1, Car 112, Car 118 and Car 119 responded. Battalion Chief Brent Dalton served as Incident Commander.
Barry W. McRoy, Fire Chief, Colleton County Fire-Rescue
Barry McRoy photo
Barry McRoy photo
Barry McRoy photo
Barry McRoy photoFirefighter overhauls house after a fire
