13/Sept/2015 – Two Alarm Structure Fire w Mutual Aid – “C” Shift

Incident # 15-05291 - A 125 year old Lodge residence was destroyed in an early morning fire Sunday morning 13-Sept. 9-1-1 Operators began receiving calls about the fire at 00:49 reporting large amounts of smoke coming from the home. Engine 23 arrived a short time later to find heavy black smoke coming from the eaves on all sides of the structure. Firefighters found fire coming from windows at the rear of the building and deployed handlines to the back of the residence. Crews made entry through the rear door and began combating the blaze in two rooms. The fire had already entered the attic. Interior crews had to be pulled out of the building as the ceiling began to fail, raining burning debris on firefighters inside the house. Within minutes of personnel exiting the building, the interior of the building erupted in flames and the roof collapsed. Crews continued with a defensive operation. A second alarm was issued minutes after Engine 23. Mutual aid was also requested from nearby Bamberg County Fire Department who sent apparatus and personnel to assist. A water shuttle operation was conducted for water supply. The home presented many challenges for firefighters. It had several additions and had been remodeled many times over the last century. There were as many as five floor layers in some rooms, as well as four layers of wall coverings, with sheet rock placed over paneling, over wood which was applied over the original tongue and groove.

 Some interior walls also contained heavy exterior siding under the interior layers since they had once been exterior walls. Power saws were used in several areas to reach burning debris under and between the layers of materials. There was no access under the original structure due the additions on all sides, so crews had to cut large holes in the floors through the thick layers so they could crawl under the building to extinguish fire under the home.  Firefighters used multiple handlines and a deck gun to extinguish the fire. Crews had the fire under control within an hour, but were on the scene performing overhaul for nine hours. Several exterior walls remained standing, but the interior of the building was completely destroyed. One nearby garage was not damaged. The occupants had left the home about 1-1/2 hours before the fire was discovered. The fire appears to have started in the area of the kitchen, but the cause is under investigation. No injuries were reported.

Engine 15, Engine 18, Engine 23, Tender 3, Tender 4, Tender 7, Tender 15, Tender 18, Tender 23, Tender 26, Tender 29, Medic 13, Medic 18, Medic 26, Battalion 1, Car 12, Car 117, Squad 23 responded. Captain Doug Mixson Jr and Battalion Chief Ben Heape operated Incident Command. Mutual Aid units from Bamberg County included apparatus and personnel from Ehrhardt, Clear Pond, Hunters Chapel, Little Swamp and Bamberg Rescue Squad.