10/February/2013 – Structure Fire – “A” Shift
Incident # 13-00759 – Firefighters contained a blaze to the room of origin at 160 Woodmeadow Drive Sunday morning 10-February at 09:54. A neighbor reported the fire after a man came to his home asking that he call 9-1-1. The 30 year old man had attempted to fight the fire himself but was driven from the house by the smoke. Engine 19 arrived four minutes later to find light smoke coming from the singlewide mobile home. Firefighters deployed two 1-3/4 handlines and entered through the front door. Within seconds of entering the home, the window in the bedroom failed providing an abundance of air to the fire, causing it to flashover. A loud boom was heard outside the building as flames quickly engulfed the small bedroom room and filled the hallway forcing firefighters to the floor. Crewmembers watched as a portion of the hallway wall was suddenly sucked in to the bedroom by nearly eight inches from the force of the flashover. They used the handline to quickly gain control over the fire, pushing it back into the bedroom.
They breached the bedroom wall to direct the water stream directly on the fire from their safe vantage point. After knocking it down, they moved into the bedroom to extinguish the fire. The bedroom received extensive fire damage, but the remainder of the home was spared, saving most of the belongings. The home suffered some heat and smoke damage.
Firefighter-Paramedics treated the man at the scene by flushing his eyes with sterile water. He did not require transportation to the hospital. The rest of the family was at church when the fire occurred. Upon investigation, it was discovered that an adult man who lived in the residence is suspected of setting the fire while the 30 year old man was inside the home. He left with a suitcase and is suspected of setting two other fires in the neighborhood, before he was apprehended by Sheriff’s Deputies approximately one mile from the scene. Two agents from the SLED Arson Unit responded to the incident. They processed the scene and were assisted by Fire-Rescue and Sheriff’s Office investigators. Fire units were on the scene for two hours, while investigators cleared up around 15:30.
Tender 9 extinguished the second fire that found under a demolished mobile in the 100 block of Woodmeadow Drive and Tender 27 extinguished a woods fire approx ½ mile from the scene in the area where Deputies arrested the man.
Engine 19, Engine 24, Tender 9, Tender 19, Tender 26, Tender 27, Medic 19, Battalion 1, Car 12 and Car 105 responded. Firefighter-Paramedic (Acting Battalion Chief) Brian Rowe served as Incident Commander.
