County firefighters battle woods fire in hot, humid weather near Red Bank

Red Bank, SC (Paul Kirby) Lexington County firefighters battled a woods fire in an area familiar to them Tuesday afternoon. Around 3:00 p.m., they responded to the 1000 block of Lawrence Drive off Platt Springs Road near the L.A. Barrier company yard for a woods fire that was estimated to have consumed 3 to 5 acres before it was brought under control. This is an area that has experienced multiple large brush and woods fires over the years.

According to Harrison Cahill, spokesman for Lexington County, the fire was burning in some pines, underbrush, and other thick vegetation. An incident command post was set up on nearby Kenneth Drive to coordinate the activities of the multiple personnel and equipment on scene. Firefighters were able to slow the fire down by raking breaks with hand tools, but the SC Forestry Commission eventually arrived with bulldozers and plowed several wider breaks around the entire fire before it was marked completely under control. Cahill said that no structures were damaged and no one was injured during the firefighting efforts. It took approximately two hours to ensure the fire was completely within the fire lines and was no longer spreading.

No cause of the fire has been released.