16/August/2017 – Structure Fire – “A” Shift 

Incident # 17-05666 – At 00:36, Wednesday morning 16-August, a passerby reported seeing flames coming from a residence in the 4000 block of Jefferies Highway, north of Walterboro. The caller advised he could see fire coming from both sides of the roof. Engine 19 arrived minutes later to find a single story wood structure approximately 50% involved. Heavy fire conditions were found at the rear of the building, with two rooms already collapsed. The fire had already spread to the attic. Firefighter-Paramedics deployed several handlines to combat the fire. A Tender shuttle operation was initiated for water supply. Crews quickly stopped the spread of the fire at the rear of the structure, however the fire in the attic spread to the front of the building. Firefighters pulled the ceiling in the front rooms to extinguish the fire above those rooms, saving many of the belongings. The front rooms suffered smoke and water damage. Units were on the scene for 4 hours. A cat and small dog are unaccounted for. Firefighters searched the building and the surrounding wooded area with thermal imagers, but could not located the animals. The family was out of town when the fire occurred. The cause is under investigation.