Stations 17, 5,
7, 18, 19 and 26 responded to a house fire at 6235 Sunrise Road
about a 1/2 mile west of Augusta Hwy. The call was received at
10:54 AM, Friday 28-November. One of the residents was asleep
in a rear bedroom, when he was awaken by smoke in the house. The
man saw fire burning behind a dresser and attempted to
extinguish the fire with several pots of water. After being
unsuccessful, he notified 9-1-1. Fire units arrived within minutes and
found heavy smoke conditions with fire visible in the front room and
coming from the roof in the rear of the structure. All occupants had
exited the building safely. Firefighters made an aggressive attack on
the fire with two 1-3/4" hand lines. After about 20 minutes, firefighters
had the flames pushed back to a manageable state. Crews worked for
another 30 minutes before completely extinguishing the blaze. The
house suffered substantial damage. Two rooms however were saved, with a
front bedroom suffering only moderate smoke and heat damage. There
was little saved from the remainder of the 80 year old home. The 74 year
old woman who owned the house was transported by Medic 19 to
Colleton Medical Center with respiratory problems aggravated by the
smoke. She was released later in the afternoon.
Firefighters were
on the scene for nearly three hours. The American Red Cross and Colleton
United Way are assisting the family who had no insurance on the building.
The fire appears to have started from an electrical short in wiring under
the bedroom where the fire was first noticed. The fire quickly spread
throughout the bedroom and extended into the attic and into an addition on
the rear of the house. Three people were displaced due to the loss.
Engine 7, Engine
17, Tender 5, Tender 17, Tender 18, Tender 26, Medic 18, Medic 19,
Battalion 1 and Truck 110 responded. Battalion Chief Daniel Barb served as
Incident Commander.
