By HEATHER RUPPE
Flames from an unattended debris pile spread on Saturday, Feb. 19th, destroying a nearby house and setting fire to about one acre of land.
A passing motorist saw the flames at about 5:45 p.m. on Saturday and called 911, alerting Colleton County Fire-Rescue of the fire. When firefighters arrived to the 1400-block of Springhill Road, the mobile home had already collapsed. One acre of grass and woods was also on fire.
According to Colleton County Fire-Rescue Chief Barry McRoy, CCFR called the S.C. Forestry Commission, which sent a tractor to the site. The tractor plowed a fire line around the perimeter of the fire to keep it from spreading.
The mobile home was vacant when it was burned, and no on was injured in the blaze.
However, the house had a metal roof that had to be removed by hand to reach the burning remains, said McRoy. “A neighbor advised crews that several people had been clearing the land earlier in the day, and they were burning the debris,” he said. “Evidence at the scene supported that the fire spread from a debris pile.”
