10/27/2011 – Structure Fire – “B” Shift

Incident # 11-05764 – An early morning structure fire has displaced a family of five. The fire was reported at 02:51, Thursday morning 27-October, reporting a kitchen fire at 272 Volunteer Lane south of Walterboro. Engine 1 arrived to find heavy smoke conditions coming from the doublewide mobile home. The woman who lives in the home reported being awakened by her dog barking. Once awake, she heard the smoke alarms and noticed the home was full of smoke. She quickly got all three of her young children out of the residence and called 9-1-1 from a neighbor’s house. She did a nice job evacuating the home, preventing any injuries. Engine 1 and Medic 1 arrived seven minutes later, deployed two 1-3/4 handlines, with the interior crew entering through the front door. Flames were exiting the rear of the structure through a small window. Firefighters were met with heavy fire conditions in the kitchen, but were able to quickly knock the fire down, containing it to that room. The kitchen suffered heavy damage. The remainder of the home suffered smoke damage and several rooms received heat damage about four to five feet above the floor. 

Most personal items were saved. The husband, who was at work in Charleston, returned home to retrieve his family. They are planning to stay with family members in the Charleston area, but were not able to take their dog. A Colleton County Animal Control Officer responded to the scene and took custody of the dog until the family could make other arrangements. The Charleston Chapter of the American Red Cross is assisting the family. It appeared the fire originated in a small appliance on the kitchen counter and spread to the cabinets.

Engine 1, Engine 24, Tender 1, Tender 19, Tender 24, Tender 27, Medic 1, Battalion 1 and Car 12 responded. Battalion Chief Ben Heape served as Incident Commander.