County firefighters attack burning mobile home in freezing weather

Round Hill, SC (Paul Kirby) – Lexington County firefighters were battling a well involved mobile home fire on Big Valley Road off Calks Ferry in the Round Hill / Boling Springs areas of Lexington County early Sunday. This sits between Sherwood and I-20. They were dispatched a few minutes after 3:00 a.m. bringing firefighters, EMTs, fire engines and tanker trucks from across the central and western portion of the county to fight the blaze. The National Weather Service reported the temperature was 32-degrees in the area at the time the firefighters arrived.

The original callers told 911 communicators that there were enough flames coming from the burning home next door that they felt they needed to evacuate their house. They got out before the first crews arrived and firefighters began putting water on the burning home. Their home was saved from any heavy damaged by the teams.

Lexington County EMS crews treated one person on the scene whose legs were burned. They were planning on transporting that individual to the hospital, but It didn’t appear as if the burns were serious or life-threatening.

Firefighters pulled attack lines and were inside the home fighting the fire quickly. A water supply was established that sustained the efforts of the fire attack. Teams searched the interior of the home twice to ensure no one was trapped. Other crew members shut off the gas and water to the home. By 3:40 a.m., they were already using mechanical fans to remove smoke and combustible gasses from the house.

Both county battalion chiefs were tied up on the fire at one point. The on-call duty chief was notified to monitor the remainder of Lexington County for other emergencies. Information from the family was gathered so that the American Red Cross could be called. They were working to assist the displaced residents.

Within 45-minutes, commanders announced the fire was under control. Crews moved into the phase called overhaul where burned contents are removed, and walls and ceilings are checked for hidden fire extension. Battalion Two out of the Industrial Park Station off Charleston Highway was clearing the fire before 4:00 a.m. This relieved the duty chief of his responsibility to monitor for additional emergencies.

Crews were finishing up within an hour of the call’s dispatch. The firefighters still had to pick up, cleanup and reload their trucks in the freezing cold. The county's Public Information Officer Harrison Cayhill has now said the firefighters believe that a space heater started the fire.