Incident # 23-06382 - A home suffered heavy damage in an afternoon fire at 1377 Barracada Road east of Walterboro, Thursday 24-August. At 14:04, Fire-Rescue was dispatched to the location for a reported grease fire. Engine 19 arrived to find a double wide mobile home approximately 70% involved. The roof in the center of the building had already collapsed and fire was running the roof of the entire structure. A 38 year old male was in the yard and suffered non-life threatening second degree burns to his hand. Firefighter-Paramedics from Medic 1 treated him at the scene, then transported the man to Colleton Medical Center. Other crews used a deck gun to knock down the flames and deployed several handlines to the building. Firefighters entered the building through the front to extinguish the fire. Water supply was conducted with Tenders. Firefighters also dealt with extreme heat, as afternoon temperatures exceeded 100 degrees. Two firefighters were injured during the incident. One was transported to Colleton Medical Center and later released. The other was treated at the scene. The occupant advised he was cooking when a grease fire occurred on the stove. He attempted to move the burning pan outside, but was burned and dropped the burning grease on the floor which quickly spread.
Fire-Rescue would like to remind the public that grease fires can many times be safely controlled by covering the pan with a metal lid to smother the flames. Water should never be applied to a grease fire, as this can cause a violent reaction between the hot grease and cold water, quickly spreading the fire. Due to the dangers of moving hot grease, it is not recommended to move the burning pan outside. All homes should be equipped with a portable fire extinguisher. These inexpensive devices are useful in extinguishing small fires in the home.
