Lexington County, SC (Paul Kirby) – Several structure fires over the weekend were quickly handled by firefighters from the Lexington County Fire Service in the Gilbert and Red Bank areas of the county. One was on Saturday night, and the other was on Sunday morning.
The Saturday night fire was on Schofield Drive near Gilbert. The call was reported around 8:00 p.m. and the caller reported the burning structure was a “barn” that apparently had a vehicle in it. One unit reported a column of smoke in the sky before they arrived on scene.
When the first county fire truck arrived, the outbuilding and vehicle was well involved. Firefighters pulled hoses and began to douse the fire with water. Tankers trucks had to be employed to bring water to the fire because of a lack of fire hydrants in the area. The personnel from the county quickly knocked down the fire and then stayed on scene until everything was completely out.
Then, on Sunday morning, a house fire was reported on Dove Drive off Old Orangeburg Road. In this instance, the caller reported her bedroom was on fire and that is why she called 911.
When firefighters arrived, they reported they had light smoke showing from the small home. They went into an investigative mode where they further evaluated the situation. After they sized the fire up, the senior firefighter determined that this was a working fire. Once again, teams began pulling hoses and went to work on the fire. They brought it under control withing moments.
Although the home was damaged, it was not destroyed. This was another case in which the high-level of training Lexington County firefighters receive regularly was evident.
Lexington County EMS assisted the fire service on both fires. The properties were turned back over to their owners after the fires were completely out.
