Sheriff’s deputies and fire service looking into suspicious car fire Wednesday morning near South Co

South Congaree, SC (Paul Kirby) – The Lexington County Sheriff’s Department and personnel from the Lexington County Fire Service are investigating a suspicious vehicle fire that occurred on Wednesday morning shortly after 4:30 a.m. on Greenwood Drive between Edmund and South Congaree. The car was located in a small mobile home park not far off Edmund Highway. Callers had advised the county’s 911 center that the fire was intentionally set before the first fire equipment arrived on the scene.

Ladder #5 and its crew were the first to arrive out of South Congaree and they reported that the vehicle was fully involved and another was threatened. They also said that there was a possibility that the fire could spread to the nearby mobile homes. Firefighters quickly attacked the fire and brought it under control within minutes.

Bystanders on the scene who were apparently occupants of the area as well, told the fire service’s battalion chief that the vehicle fire was set by a former tenant of one of the homes that had recently been evicted. That individual was recognized by others and this allowed the deputy who was there to start the report process; an opportunity to gather all the pertinent information regarding the suspect.

Firefighters took about an hour to finish putting the fire out, clean up, and leave the scene. Most personnel and fire equipment were back in their quarters by 5:45 a.m.