Gaston, SC 10/18/2021 (Paul Kirby) – Firefighters from across southern Lexington County, assisted by other agencies, fought a single-wide mobile home fire on Gardner’s Terrace Road near its intersection with US Hwy 321 south Monday afternoon. The fire, which was originally dispatched as an outside fire threatening a structure, was reported sometime around 3:30 p.m.
Crews from Lexington County’s Station #33 were first on the scene and reported they had a mobile home that was being consumed by flames. The first due battalion chief immediately took command and began directing firefighters who were preparing for an aggressive attack. He also was giving instructions to the other equipment that was still enroute to the fire.
Key to the firefight were water tanker trucks that were needed because of a lack of fire hydrants in the immediate vicinity of the scene. These trucks can quickly offload their water to the fire engines at the fire that are supporting the firefight and then make a fast trip to the nearest hydrant or waterpoint to refill.
As the on-scene crews made headway in knocking the fire down, another chief level officer began to move equipment around to cover stations whose manpower and equipment were committed at the fire. This helps ensure that no county residents are left completely unprotected from fires or other emergencies that could occur at the same time.
Eventually, the crews were able to bring the fire under control. As some crews began to cleanup and pick up their equipment, others went into an overhaul phase searching through the remains of the structure for smoldering embers that could cause the home to reignite. Most of the fire equipment left the scene just before 5:00 p.m.
Lexington County has not yet compiled an estimate of the monetary loss as a result of the fire. They have not said how the fire was started or if anyone was displaced because of the blaze.
