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 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.
