Midnight fire in Bluffton sends 1 to hospital. What were the ‘explosions’ neighbors heard?
Editor’s note: This story has been updated to include information about smoke detectors in the home.
A fire at a Bluffton home on Old Miller Road injured one man and displaced three others in the early hours of March 11, according to Capt. Lee Levesque of the Bluffton Township Fire District.
Six fire units and two ambulances responded to the fire near Hampton Lake around 12:40 a.m., Levesque said. One man was transported to the hospital by Beaufort County ambulance for smoke inhalation.
Three other adult men were evacuated from the home.
Neighbors reported hearing “explosions” around the home during the fire, and Levesque said the sounds were likely two car tires that blew up in the driveway due to the intense heat.
“It was jarring, even to us,” Levesque said of the exploding tires.
As for the cause of the fire, Levesque said, “We don’t know the specific cause yet because it is still under investigation,” but that “we absolutely believe it was accidental.”
Around 50 percent of the home and the car that was in the driveway were destroyed in the fire, Levesque said.
Firefighters confirmed Monday afternoon that there were no smoke detectors in the home.
Neighbors are taking clothing donations for the men displaced by the fire.
South Carolina ranks among the top five deadliest cities in the U.S. for fire fatalities per capita, according to Levesque.
“Working smoke alarms are absolutely necessary in every home today,” he said. “Best case scenario there would be a smoke alarm in every room of the house but never a bathroom or the kitchen. At a minimum, there should be one working smoke alarm on every level and each side of your home.”
For more information about smoke alarms or fire safety, email Bluffton Fire at info@blufftonfd.com
This story was originally published March 11, 2019 at 3:23 PM.
