On Sunday, Dec. 25 a 70-year-old woman was burned, and her home was severely damaged in a late afternoon structure fire at 1193 Strickland Farm Rd west of Smoaks. Firefighters successfully rescued six animals from the burning structure. At 5:59 p.m., 9-1-1 operators received several 9-1-1 hang up calls. They were able to finally get in touch with the caller who advised the home was on fire and she was injured. Engine 7 arrived to find flames coming from the singlewide mobile home with the building interior approximately 50% involved. Firefighter-Paramedics began treating the injured woman and called for a medical helicopter. Other Firefighters deployed multiple handlines to extinguish the fire. Crews entered the burning building to search for the animals and found two dogs, two rabbits, a pig and an iguana alive in the back of the residence. All the animals were safely rescued. The woman was transported emergent in Fire-Rescue Medic 7 to a field approximately four miles from the scene to meet with the CARE Flight helicopter. The patient was transferred to the Flight Crew and flown to the Burn Center at MUSC in Charleston. The interior of the residence suffered heavy damage and most personal belongings were lost. The cause is suspected to have been a space heater which may have set some nearby towels on fire according to the occupant. Fire units were on the scene for close to four hours. Red Cross is assisting the occupant.
