Gaston, SC (Paul Kirby) – A suspicious fire on Archwood Street near Gaston destroyed the remnants of a doublewide mobile home that had already had a fire once before. The fire was reported Monday afternoon. It was on the Woodtrail Drive end of Archwood close to the Diamond Pet Food plant.
When the first firefighters from Lexington County arrived, they reported that the mobile home was almost completely engulfed in fire. Tanker trucks were used to carry water from a hydrant in the nearby Food Lion parking lot to put the fire out. The battalion chief in charge quickly announced that the firefighters were in defensive mode only. They were just pouring their water on from outside the burning structure. It had burned to the point that it was unsafe to have firefighters enter and attack from the inside.
A Lexington County EMS unit was on scene for the safety of the firefighters and anyone else that might be injured in any way as the fire was extinguished. Deputies from the Lexington County Sheriff’s Department were also on scene assisting. When the battalion chief from the fire service declared the fire was suspicious, a deputy made the initial report.
Lexington County Public Works was requested, and they responded with a backhoe to knock down and pull apart the debris left by the fire. Then, the firefighters were able to put the fire out completely and leave the scene.
