Gilbert, SC (Paul Kirby) - A fire that destroyed a small outbuilding in the 2800 block of Pond Branch Road is under investigation by the Lexington County Fire Service with the assistance of the Lexington County Sheriff's Department. The fire, that was reported around 3:15 a.m. Thursday morning was in what was described as a shed or outbuilding that was close to a home on the property.
When the first fire equipment and personnel arrived from Lexington County's Gilbert Fire Station, they reported that the small building was fully engulfed in flames. It was inside a fenced area that originally hampered access to the building. The trained crews quickly dealt with that issue in order to get their hoses to the burning outbuilding. In a short amount of time, the fire was brought under control and extinguished.
Deputies from the Lexington County Sheriff's Department were requested to make a report on what was being called a suspicious fire. A fire marshal that is a trained fire investigator responded from the Chapin area of the county. As soon as the flames were out and he arrived, he began his investigation into why the building that was said to have been storage for lawn equipment burned.
About 5:30 a.m. Thursday morning, the fire marshal requested that law enforcement return to the scene regarding suspect information he had received. Information on that investigation may not be available for some time.
