Two homes were damaged and one workshop destroyed in an early morning fire that started at 160 Boone Street in the Country Estates Subdivision south of the City of Walterboro (SC) Tuesday morning 26-August. At 01:45, 9-1-1 operators began receiving reports of the fire in a workshop and a home located behind the workshop. Colleton County Fire-Rescue Car 118 arrived to find the 20×40 block work shop fully-involved and a single-story residential dwelling approximately 30% involved.
Engine 1 was directed to a position on Capers Street behind the workshop. Multiple handlines and a deck gun were used in an attempt to extinguish the rapidly spreading fire in the Capers Street home. It appeared the fire originated in the workshop and spread to piles of lumber and wood in the yard. The residence at 189 Capers Street was located approximately 20 feet from the workshop on the lot next door and the fire spread to the attached garage, then extended into the attic. Neighbors had awaken the family at the Capers Street home. An adult male and two teenagers were able to safely exit the house.
A second alarm was requested six minutes after the first fire units arrived, with a third alarm five minutes later. The home on Capers Street had security bars on all of the windows. Firefighters had to remove the bars with a K-12 saw before it was safe to enter the structure. The fire quickly spread through the attic and within seven minutes after arrival was extending from the eaves on all sides of the home. The main house at 160 Boone Street also suffered heat damage to the rear of the house and most items in the back yard were destroyed. A pickup truck parked next to the workshop was also destroyed.
Firefighter-Paramedics worked diligently to contain the Capers Street fire, while other crewmembers protected the exposures on Boone Street and worked to extinguish the workshop fire. A tender shuttle was established for water supply, due to the majority of the subdivision being an unhydranted area.
It took approximately 50 minutes to bring the fires under control. The Capers Street home lost most of the roof and the majority of the fire was contained to the attic, however the remainder of the home suffered heavy damage from drop down fire and water. Many personal items were salvaged. The workshop and pickup truck on Boone Street were completely destroyed, as were several pieces of equipment in the yard. The Boone Street home also suffered heat and fire damage to the back of the house. The fire appeared to have started in or near the electrical panel in the workshop. Fire units were on the scene for over five hours. The Charleston Chapter of the American Red Cross was contacted to assist the family. No injuries were reported.
Engine 1, Engine 4, Engine 5, Engine 17, Engine 19, Engine 24, Engine 26, Tender 1, Tender 6, Tender 9, Tender 13, Tender 19, Tender 26, Tender 27, Medic 1, Medic 6, Medic 9, Medic, Medic 26, Rescue 1, Battalion 1, Car 12, Car 105, Car 107 and Car 118 responded. Battalion Chief Dan Barb and Captain Gary Nahrstedt operated the Command Post.
A morning fire in a residence caused heavy damage to the structure Sunday morning 29-June at 07:46. Car 118 arrived to find heavy smoke conditions from the singlewide mobile home located at 65 Stormy Lane just off of Bells Hwy. west of Walterboro.
Colleton County (SC) Firefighter-Paramedics deployed one 1-3/4 handline to the front door. They were met with high heat conditions and zero visibility. Neighbors indicated the man who lived in the mobile home was more than likely in the building. Crews made a quick search to the north end of the building and the living room. They were briefly driven out of the building as the fire from the middle bedroom flashed into the living room and vented from a front window.
A quick exterior attack knocked down the flames so firefighters could reenter the building. The small building was ventilated and crews finished extinguishing the flames, so they could search the remainder of the structure. No occupants were found inside the building. The occupant eventually walked back to his house, so he was accounted for and not injured.
The fire appeared to have started from electrical wiring near the heater. It spread to the middle bedroom and then to the hall. Firefighters contained the fire to the center of the mobile home, but the residence suffered extensive interior damage. Family members and the Red Cross are assisting the man.
Engine 1, Engine 26, Tender 1, Tender 18, Tender 26, Tender 27, Medic 18, Medic 26, Battalion 1, Car 12, and Car 118 responded. Battalion Chief Scott Feather served as Incident Commander.
Barry W. McRoy, Fire Chief, Colleton County Fire-Rescue
A local rural landmark was destroyed in an early morning fire Sunday 04-May. At 04:54, Colleton County (SC) Fire-Rescue was sent to 26409 Augusta Highway, Brandy’s Social Club, for a reported fire in a building. Engine 9 arrived to find the building had already been destroyed and was almost burned out. The approximately 40’ x 45’ block structure had been known for the last several decades as the Edisto Tackle Shop and had a colorful past. It was most recently operated as Brandy’s.
Firefighters deployed two 1-3/4” handlines to extinguish the fire. The block enclosure was all that remained of the building, with a little wood around the top of the blocks still burning. The roof and all materials inside the building had burned long before the fire was spotted.
A single-story home located 20 feet away suffered minor exterior damage. A man traveling to work noticed the fire and alerted 9-1-1. The owner responded to the scene and advised us that the establishment was closed a little after midnight. A patron came back to the scene after daybreak, noting he picked up his car around 03:00 and did not notice anything wrong. The doors were still padlocked when firefighters arrived. Units were on the scene for a little over four hours. Water supply was handled with tenders. The Sheriff’s Office is investigating the incident.
Engine 9, Engine 902, Tender 5, Tender 9, Tender 903, Tender 19, Medic 9, Medic 19, Battalion 1 and Car 12 responded. Battalion Chief Dan Barb served as Incident Commander.
A Walterboro man narrowly escaped a house fire Friday morning 11-April.
At 06:12, 9-1-1 received several reports of a well-involved fire at a residence located at 410 Country Lane. Colleton County (SC) Engine 26 arrived to find a singlewide mobile home with an addition and attached garage approximately 60% involved. The only occupant was in the roadway with only the clothes on his back. When he discovered the fire, he was able to quickly exit the home through the garage.
Barry McRoy photo
Barry McRoy photo
Firefighters deployed two 1-3/4 handlines to combat the flames. Fire had consumed most of the interior leaving only the walls on one end of the mobile home. The roof on the opposite end had already collapsed. Crews were able to make entry through the garage and stop the fire before it reached the garage area. The remainder of the house suffered heavy damage. A pickup truck in the back yard also suffered damage.
Barry McRoy photo
Barry McRoy photo
Firefighters had the fire under control within 30 minutes, but were on the scene for over three hours. The fire appears to have started in the area of the kitchen, but is still under investigation. Water supply was conducted with tenders.
Barry McRoy photo
Engine 1, Engine 26, Tender 1, Tender 19, Tender 26, Tender 27, Medic 1, Medic 26, Battalion 1, and Car 12 responded. Battalion Chief Brent Dalton served as Incident Commander.
A yard debris fire quickly escalated into a three-alarm response which destroyed three homes, a storage building and damaged a large, abandoned, wooden dwelling. Approximately 10 acres of woods and brush were also burned.
At 13:42 Thursday 27-March, Colleton County 9-1-1 was notified by a caller who stated a yard debris fire had spread to two houses near 47 Harry Lane. The location is a dirt road located in a rural community in southern Colleton County off of Catterton Lane. Engine 13 arrived nine minutes later to find one single-story structure fully involved. The roof had already collapsed. A doublewide mobile home was also fully involved and a second doublewide mobile home was approximately 50% involved.
Harold Buzzell photo
Light winds had driven the fire across a broom straw field and into several wooded areas north and west of the structure fires. The fast moving grass/woods fire was threatening several other homes in the area. Engine 13 and the crew from Medic 13 deployed handlines to protect a mobile home near the third structure and two large LP tanks in the yard. Tender 13 was directed to Rufus Lane to the head of the woods fire to protect homes on Rufus Lane.
Harold Buzzell photo
Harold Buzzell photo
A second alarm and Forestry were requested. Engine 13 set up a ground monitor and directed the stream on the third structure, while crewmembers worked to extinguish the fires. When Battalion 1 arrived, he assumed command of the incident and requested a third alarm along with several brush trucks. Multiple handlines and master stream devices were used to bring the fire under control. The Forestry Commission responded with three tractors and a Ranger. Two homes were completely destroyed by the fire. The third structure, a doublewide mobile home suffered heavy damage, but several rooms were salvaged. A fourth wooden structure, that was vacant received minor damage. Firefighters kept the flames from reaching six other homes near the location. No injuries were reported.
Harold Buzzell photo
Harold Buzzell photo
The fire originated in a yard debris pile behind 47 Harry Lane. The homeowner had been burning debris from the recent ice storm. Light winds spread the fire into a nearby hedgerow, then through the yard to a one-story wooden home. The flames quickly consumed the wooden building. The fire then moved to a nearby doublewide mobile home, then to the third doublewide mobile home. The yard fire rapidly spread into a nearby broom straw field with the winds droving the fire in several directions endangering other buildings in the neighborhood. Firefighters and Forestry personnel were on the scene for over 4-1/2 hours. Water supply was conducted with tenders.
Engine 3, Engine 8, Engine 13, Engine 27, Tender 1, Tender 4, Tender 8, Tender 13, Tender 15, Tender 18, Tender 19, Tender 22, Tender 25, Tender 27, Tender 29, Brush 2, Brush 8, Brush 15, Brush 24, Medic 6, Medic 13, Medic 18, Battalion 1, Car 12, Car 107, Car 111, Car 118, three Forestry tractors and a Ranger responded. Battalion Chief Ben Heape, Battalion Chief Scott Feather and Sd. Lt. Janet Laney operated the Command Post. Photos by Harold Buzzell.
A yard debris fire spread to a home at 510 Bee Street west of Walterboro (SC) Thursday afternoon, 27-February. At 15:54, Colleton County (SC) Fire-Rescue was notified that the fire had burned under the residence and the home was full of smoke. Engine 24 arrived six minutes later to find heavy smoke coming from the singlewide mobile home and flames under the full length of the building extending up the walls in several places.
Barry McRoy photo
Barry McRoy photo
Firefighters deployed two 1-3/4 handlines with one crew working the front of the home and the other extinguishing flames at the rear. After five minutes, most of the exterior flames were extinguished, but the fire had burned into the walls along the back of the mobile home and in several places along the front. Firefighters removed the exterior metal siding and pulled up the floor in multiple rooms to reach the remaining flames.
Barry McRoy photo
Barry McRoy photo
A great deal of personal items were salvaged, but the home suffered heavy damage. The fire was caused by a few leaf piles that were burning in the yard. Light winds of 10 mph spread the fire through the yard until it burned underneath the mobile home. The fire then spread to the structure. All occupants safely exited the building. Water supply was conducted with tenders. The Charleston Chapter of the American Red Cross is assisting the family.
Barry McRoy photo
Engine 19, Engine 24, Engine 27, Tender 1, Tender 19, Tender 27, Medic 19, Battalion 1, Car 12 and Car 118 responded. Battalion Chief Scott Feather served as Incident Commander.
Barry W. McRoy, Fire Chief, Colleton County Fire-Rescue
At 04:35 Tuesday morning 11-February, Colleton County (SC) Fire-Rescue was notified of a structure fire at 1373 Beavers Pass Road east of the Town of Smoaks. The home was located on a rural secondary road. The caller to 9-1-1 reported the home was fully involved. Engine 18 arrived 8 minutes later to find the home completely destroyed, with little left standing. Two campers, two pickup trucks, and the single-story wood frame home next to the structure were also well involved.
Firefighters deployed three handlines to combat the flames, which were driven by moderate winds. A second alarm was requested for additional personnel and tenders. Water supply was conducted with tenders shuttling water from a hydrant a mile away in the Town of Smoaks. Crews worked for 35 minutes to bring the fires under control, but were on the scene for four hours. A neighbor advised fire department personnel that two people lived in the residence, but their over the road truck was gone. Firefighters searched the debris but did not find any evidence of a person in the residence. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
Engine 7, Engine 18, Tender 4, Tender 7, Tender 18, Tender 23, Tender 26, Medic 18, Battalion 1, Car 12 and Car 111 responded. Battalion Chief Ben Heape and Firefighter-Paramedic Steve Sanders operated the Command Post.
Photos by Harold Buzzell
Barry W. McRoy, Fire Chief, Colleton County Fire-Rescue
