Home in Red Bank area burns overnight

Red Bank, SC (Paul Kirby) – A house on Katrina Court in the Red Bank area of the county caught fire and burned just before midnight Friday night. Firefighters from all across the center of Lexington County fought the fire in a neighborhood that sits behind White Knoll High School off Cape Jasmine Way and McLee Road.

Someone reported the fire about 11:50 p.m. and when the first firefighting resources arrived, they discovered flames were already coming from the ridgeline of the home’s roof. More personnel and equipment arrived, and teams began attacking the fire. Although the crews were able to knock the blaze down and bring it under control quickly, it took several more hours to completely extinguish all hot spots and ensure everything was safe before the crews began returning to their stations.

During the height of the fire, commanders moved trucks and their personnel from outlying stations to ones who had resources committed on the scene of the house fire. This is normally orchestrated by a duty officer notified when both fire service battalion chiefs are committed at an incident like this. It provides a layer of fire and first responders protection to the entire county and prevents having large geographical areas with stations that are empty because of the first incident.

Lexington County EMS had personnel and equipment on the scene assisting with safety and firefighter support. There were also deputies that responded from the Lexington County Sheriff’s Department and employees from the home’s utility provider.

Most of the county’s fire equipment left the scene shortly after 3:00 a.m. Since the fire was declared out, firefighters have gone back by several times to make sure nothing has rekindled. Lexington County hasn’t yet released a cause of the fire and that may take some time to determine.