At 01:00 Sunday morning 27-October, Colleton County (SC) Fire-Rescue responded to a structure fire at 344 Candlelight Drive. Callers reported flames coming from the roof and that all occupants had safely exited the building. Engine 19 arrived to find a doublewide mobile home with flames extending across the entire roof and fire venting from several windows on the B/C corner.

Barry McRoy photo

Barry McRoy photo

One crew of Firefighter-Paramedics made entry through the front door with an 1-3/4″ handline, while a second crew made entry through the kitchen with a second 1-3/4″ handline. The roof and ceiling in the living room had already burned completely away, well ventilating the structure.

Barry McRoy photo

Barry McRoy photo

A second alarm was requested shortly after arrival for additional tenders. Firefighters made quick progress and had the fire under control within 25 minutes, saving much of the structure and many personal belongings, although the home suffered heavy interior damage.

Barry McRoy photo

Water supply was conducted with a tender shuttle; there were some access problems on the narrow dirt road. Units were on the scene for over four hours. The fire appears to have started in an exterior wall where a vent pipe for the wood burning stove was located. The fire burned inside the wall, exiting the structure on the rear of the house, but reentered the attic space at the eave. It spread unchecked throughout the attic space completely destroying two rooms and burning the roof off over three rooms. The remainder of the home suffered heat, smoke and water damage. No injuries were reported during the incident.

Engine 19, Engine 26, Tender 1, Tender 5, Tender 9, Tender 17, Tender 19, Tender 26, Tender 27, Tender 903, Medic 19, Medic 26, Battalion 1, Car 12 and Car 118 responded.

Barry W. McRoy

Fire Chief

Colleton County Fire-Rescue