17/February/2018 – Structure Fire – “A” Shift

Incident # 18-01215 - At 18:17, Saturday afternoon 17-February, 9-1-1 began receiving reports of a large fire in the 300 block of Dandridge Road. The location is in the unincorporated area in the Hyde Park Subdivision and sits on the City Limit of Walterboro behind Colleton Medical Center. Responding units could see a large column of thick black smoke while enroute to the location. The Firefighter-Paramedic on the C.A.R.E. Flight Helicopter could see the flames and smoke from the helicopter base at the hospital and was the first on the scene. He reported several outside buildings were on fire with explosions coming from one of the buildings. There was a fully involved work shop and three outdoor storage buildings and several lean-tos well involved. Another large storage building was burning on the exterior and heavy fire conditions were encroaching on the back of the residence at 318 Dandridge Road. Engine 26 arrived, deployed one 2-1/2 handline and two 1-3/4 handlines to combat the fire. One crew used the 2-1/2 and one 1-3/4 handline to work on the fires in the back yard. A second crew entered the residence through the front door. All human occupants had safely exited the building, but several animals remained inside.

The fire had burned the rear of the residence and burned through the back doors and windows on one side. The fire also entered the attic space and extended through the attic. Thick black smoke made visibility on Dandridge Road difficult. County and City Law Enforcement Officers detoured traffic. A second alarm was requested immediately and the Walterboro Fire Department was notified to respond to the parking lot of the hospital due to the fire extending into the grass and shrubs, which was in their jurisdiction and was not accessible from units working off of Dandridge Road. Due to their location behind the incident, City Engines 1 and 3 were able to access a fire hydrant and use their deck guns from the parking lot to assist with extinguishment of the multiple buildings, then deployed handlines to assist with overhaul. Interior crews were able to knock down the fire that entered the home and pulled the ceilings in three rooms to extinguish the fire in the attic. Firefighters had the fire under control in about 25 minutes and saved the residence and two outside storage buildings. The rear of the home suffered damage and there was heavy damage to the attic. The fire burned through the roof in one area, but most personal items were saved. Three interior rooms suffered some fire damage. All but two buildings in the back yard were destroyed, along with a wooden fence across the back. Several sections of the six foot privacy fence on the property next door was destroyed and the vinyl siding on one side of the home next door was also melted.  One handline was used to protect the exposure. Water supply to Engine 26 on Dandridge Road was conducted with Tenders. Two occupants of the home were treated at the scene by Firefighter-Paramedics. One did not require ambulance transport, but a female was transported by Medic 19 to Colleton Medical Center for smoke inhalation.

A third person in a neighboring home was also evaluated by crews but did not require transport to the hospital. Firefighters found a large cat inside the home was that was suffering from respiratory difficulty. The feline was bought outside where Firefighter-Paramedics cleared its airway and administered oxygen until the animal was better. Fire units were on the scene for over four hours. The cause of the fire is under investigation. It is believed the work shot contained fiberglass products and some tires.

Engine 1, Engine 5, Engine 19, Engine 26, Engine 27, Tender 1, Tender 4, Tender 5, Tender 18, Tender 19, Tender 26, Tender 27, Medic 1, Medic 18, Medic 19, Medic 26, Battalion 1 and Car 112 responded. Chief McRoy, Battalion Chief Campbell and Firefighter-Flight Paramedic Trae Wright operated the Commander. Post.