12/May/2018 – Fatal Structure Fire – “A” Shift

Incident # 18-03353 – A Walterboro man lost his life in an afternoon fire at his residence in the 200 block of Teakwood Drive Saturday 12-May.  At 18:37, an alert neighbor discovered the fire in the home which sat well off the road and was not visible from Teakwood Drive. The neighbor reported that she was in her yard and kept smelling smoke. She went to investigate and saw smoke and flames coming from the two story house next door. She reported the fire to 9-1-1, then met Firefighters when they arrived. The driveway was too small for the Fire Trucks to access the building. Firefighters had to stretch 300 feet of large supply hose down the driveway by hand, then carry the hand lines to the building and connect to the supply hose to engage the fire. The neighbor believed the man was at home and identified the room she thought he would be occupying. This saved time for Firefighters. The home was charged with smoke and flames were exiting the master bedroom and running up the outside of the building to the second floor. Exterior crews knocked down the fire down from the outside, to allow other crews to enter the structure with a second handline through the front door. Interior crews quickly located the man in the master bedroom, but unfortunately he was already deceased. The bedroom received heavy damage from the fire, but Firefighters contained it to one room and the hallway outside the bedroom. The remainder of the home received smoke and heat damage. The Coroner’s Office was notified and the Coroner responded to the scene. Fire-Rescue also notified the Sheriff’s Office, SLED and the State Fire Marshal’s Office which is normal procedure involving a fire death.

 Each agency sent representatives to the scene. The fire originated in the master bedroom, but the cause is still under investigation. The Coroner’s Office transported the man’s body to MUSC. Fire-Rescue, the Sheriff’s Office and SLED were on the scene for 6-1/2 hours.

Engine 1, Engine 19, Engine 26, Tender 1, Tender 9, Tender 19, Tender 26, Tender 27, Medic 1, Medic 19, Medic 26, Battalion 1, Car 105 and Car 112 responded. Captain David Goins served as Incident Commander.