October
16, 2003
Mobile
Home Destroyed by Fire in Swansea
(Lexington
County, South Carolina)- A Swansea family had a very close call
early this morning when their mobile home was destroyed by fire.
Tammy Porterfield reported that she was shaken awake just
after midnight this morning by her 9-year-old son who was
complaining about how hot is was in their house.
She immediately recognized that their mobile home was on
fire.
She woke her two other children and all four escaped the
blaze.
She went to a neighbor who called 911.
Lexington Central Dispatch received the single 911 call
and dispatched the fire stations a 12:11 AM this morning.
Firefighters arrived at 538 Whetstone Road to find 50% of
the roof collapsed in the home and the inside of the home
completely involved.
Firefighters confirmed through Ms. Porterfield that no
one was inside the home and began an exterior attack to confine
the fire to the home of origin.
Fourteen firefighters from three stations brought the
fire under control in about ten minutes, and completely
extinguished the fire in a little over an hour.
Assistant Chief Burle Jumper of the Swansea Fire Station
indicated the cause of the fire was electrical in nature.
The tenant related having electrical problems with the
home for some time.
She further related that there were no smoke detectors in
the home at the time of the fire.
Mr. Bennie Wilson of Irmo, the homeowner and landlord of
the Porterfields, indicated there were smoke detectors in the
home.
Assistant Chief Jumper indicated that no smoke detectors
could be located in the home after the fire.
There
were no injuries during the blaze that destroyed the home and
caused an estimated $4,500.00 in damages.
October
11, 2003
Fire
Heavily Damages Apartment and Home
(Lexington
County, South Carolina)- Lexington Central Dispatch received the
first of many 911 telephone calls at about 8:30 PM Friday
evening from a caller driving by the apartments in the 200 block
of South Main Street in the Gaston Community.
The caller reported that the two story apartments were on
fire and a home was located five to ten feet from the burning
building.
She was unclear weather either building was occupied.
Several additional calls continued to ring into the
dispatch center from motorist passing by the burning apartment.
Firefighters
arrived on scene in four minutes to confirm a working fire at
247 South Main Street.
The fire was reported to be extending into the home
adjacent to the apartments.
Firefighters performed a primary search of both the
apartment and the home and confirmed both buildings were
evacuated.
Suppression efforts were put into place on both buildings
and a quick knockdown of the fire was achieved.
Once the power to both buildings was secured, a more
thorough search of the apartment was performed and the owner of
the single family residence was located with family outside the
home.
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firefighters utilizing equipment from five stations battled the
blaze for about two hours before placing the fire under control.
Once under control efforts turned to salvaging as many of
the contents in the single family dwelling as possible.
Canvas tarps were used to cover as many personal
belongings as possible.
Overhaul and mop-up operations were completed about three
hours into the incident.
The
origin and cause of the fire remain under investigation at this
time.
The fire caused over 100,000.00 in damages to the two
buildings and their contents.
There were no injuries during the blaze.
September 29, 2003
Fire Destroys
Mobile Home in Edmund Community
(Lexington County, South
Carolina)- Fire investigators have determined the cause and
origin of an early afternoon fire that destroyed a double wide
mobile home in the Edmund community today to be improperly
discarded smoking materials (cigarettes). Lexington Central
Dispatch received the first of several 911 calls from the home
located at 163 Overview Drive at about 12:30 PM, from an adult
female caller who indicated the home located at 153 Overview was
on fire.
Firefighters arrived on scene
in seven minutes and confirmed a doublewide mobile home at 153
Overview was fully involved. Sixteen firefighters from seven
stations brought the fire under control in an hour and contained
the fire to the home of origin. The home, a 1996 Bellcrest
Azalea II, was destroyed during the fire. Total property and
contents damages are estimated at 65,000.00.
Fire investigators determined
the fire started on the back deck/porch of the home around a
lawn mower and pine straw from a cigarette that was improperly
discarded. The fire traveled up the exterior wall of the home an
into the roof area through a vinyl soffit vent and soffit area.
There were no injuries during the blaze.
September
24, 2003
Fire Destroys Gaston Mobile Home
(Lexington
County, South Carolina)- Lexington Central Dispatch received a
911 telephone call from a neighbor two homes away from 512
Forest Drive just after 1:00 PM today who reported that the home
at 512 Forest Drive was on fire.
Firefighters from three stations arrived on the scene in
just minutes to confirm a singlewide mobile home was fully
involved in fire.
As
firefighters began the initial attack of the fire and search of
the home, they found over 40 cats dead inside the home and many
more animals outside the home.
Animal Control personnel were requested to respond to the
scene. Firefighters
moved the animals outside out of harms way and continued to
extinguish the blaze. There
were seven trucks, support vehicles, and fifteen firefighters on
scene at the height of the incident.
The
fire destroyed the home, a 1970 Redmond New Moon 12X70 mobile
home, with an approximate value of $10,000.00.
Additionally, contents loss was estimated at $5,000.00.
The home was owned and occupied by Diana L. Willmeth who
was not home at the time of the fire, but did arrive later in
the incident while firefighters extinguished the blaze.
The
origin of the fire was in the area of an addition built onto the
home and the cause is undetermined.
There were no firefighter injuries during the incident.
For
additional information regarding the animal control aspect of
the investigation, you may contact Joe Mergo, Director of Animal
Control, at 755-3325.
August 4, 2003
Candle Sparks Mobile Home Blaze
(Lexington County, South Carolina)- Lexington
Central Dispatch received a 911 telephone call from the occupant
of the home located at 151 Sandy Hill Road, in the Round Hill
community of Lexington County just before 1:00 P.M. this
afternoon who reported that her home was on fire. Fire units
from three county stations arrived on scene in just minutes to
confirm a single wide mobile home was on fire.
Firefighters quickly knocked down the blaze and
brought the fire completely under control in about an hour. The
fire was determined to be caused by a candle left unattended in
the bathroom that caught a towel hanging nearby on fire. The
fire spread to the wall and bathtub and other hanging linens.
There were no injuries during the incident that
caused an estimated 15,000.00 in structural damage and another
4,000.00 in contents damage. At the height of the incident
there were 17 firefighters on scene. The fire was declared out
at 2:45 P.M.
The occupant of the home was displaced by the
fire, and will stay with relatives who live nearby until repairs
can be made.
June 11, 2003
Lightning
Strike Causes Heavy Damage to Home
(Lexington
County, South Carolina)- Afternoon storms rolling through
Lexington County around 3:00 PM this afternoon were responsible
for downed power lines and lightning strikes to at least two
buildings. The damage was concentrated in the Lexington, Oak
Grove, and South Congaree communities. Wind gusts and heavy rain
knocked down tree limbs. Several of those limbs landed on top
of and knocked down power lines.
At
approximately 3:05 PM, a business
owner called 911 and reported that his building was struck by
lightning on South Lake Drive in the Edmund community. Moments
later, Lexington Central Dispatch received a 911 call from a
next door neighbor of the residence located at 109 Cedarlane
Parkway, in West Columbia, who related the home at 109 Cedarlane
was struck by lightning and was on fire. Firefighters arrived
just minutes later to confirm a single story brick veneer home
was heavily involved with fire in the attic and roof area.
Approximately 15 firefighters from three stations battled the
blaze for over two hours before declaring it out. The fire was
started by lightning that struck a pine tree next to the home
and energized the roof area of the home. There were no injuries
during the blaze that caused approximately $55,000.00 in
damages. The home belongs to Mr. Charles Evans, who was not
initially home at the time of the fire.
Storm
conditions subsided in the area around 4:30 PM and no additional
storm related damage was reported to the Fire Service.
May 26, 2003
Fire Destroys Unoccupied Home in Swansea
(Lexington County, South Carolina)- Lexington
Central Dispatch received a 911 call at about 2:45 am this
morning from the resident located at 514 Burton Gunter Road, in
Swansea, who reported the home next door was on fire. The
caller further related that people may be trapped inside the
home.
Firefighters arrived at the home in about 10
minutes and confirmed the home located at 516 Burton Gunter Road
was fully involved in fire. First arriving firefighters
reported that the roof was already falling in on the home.
Firefighters identified through neighbors that the homeowners
were not currently home and were in the process of moving.
Firefighters made the decision to perform an exterior attack on
the home and protect all nearby structures as this home and all
its contents were non-salvagable. It took 12 firefighters about
an hour to bring the fire under control and another two to
completely extinguish.
Once the fire was out, the investigation into the
cause and origin began. Investigators determined that the home
was a wood frame structure approximately 2,000 square foot in
size. Preliminary reports indicate this was not the first fire
at the home in recent history. The homeowners called the
Sheriff’s Office approximately 2 weeks ago to report they
returned home to find what appeared to be a kitchen fire that
burned itself out. The homeowners reported significant damage
to the stove, cabinetry, walls and ceiling in the kitchen area.
The last remaining firefighters cleared the scene
at 7:00 am this morning. The fire scene was turned over to the
Sheriff’s Office for investigation. The cause and origin of
this fire is yet to be determined. The fire caused an estimated
$50,000 in structural damage, and $5,000 in contents damage.
There were no injuries during this incident.
May 7, 2003
Leaking Pond Dam Forces Road Closing
(Lexington County, South Carolina)- A portion of Bagpipe Road
was closed temporarily this afternoon because of a problem with
a pond dam. Fire Service and Public Works officials from Lexington
County are evaluating the status of the pond dam at this time
and advise no immediate threat exists for homeowners down stream.
A problem with the spillway pipe that runs under Bagpipe Road
was identified. Public Works Officials indicate that this leaking
pipe has caused erosion of the pond Dam under the roadway. Consequently,
Bagpipe Road between Bright Leaf Road and Fairview Road will
be closed until further notice.
