Woman rescued from window during fire on Burton’s Joe Frazier Road. Dog died in blaze
A Marine and his fiancée escaped an early morning mobile home fire but suffered serious burns while their dog was killed in the blaze.
Firefighters were notified of the fire in the 500 block of Joe Frazier Road just before 1 a.m. Saturday, Capt. Dan Byrne of the Burton Fire District said. When Burton and Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort firefighters, along with Beaufort County EMS, arrived, they found a man, a Marine stationed at MCAS Beaufort, and a woman, his fiancée, both 23, on the front lawn outside of the single-wide mobile home, which was engulfed in flames.
It is believed that a neighbor rescued the woman by pulling her out of a window, Byrne said. That neighbor, he said, stopped the man from going back inside.
Both occupants suffered serious burns and were treated on the scene. On Saturday, they were in the intensive care unit at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston, Bryne said.
A dog was discovered in a bedroom in the mobile home and removed but did not survive, Byrne said.
The fire is under investigation, but is believed to be unintentional at this time. The Marine told Burton fire investigators that he woke up due to the thick smoke and being unable to breath.
Firefighters do not believe there were working smoke alarms at the residence, Byrne said. If alarms are working, he said, they usually are going off when firefighters arrive. Alarms were not heard in this instance, he said.
It was the 22nd house fire for the Burton Fire District in 2021.
Make sure alarms are working
Burton fire officials credit the residents’ young age and fitness for their escape. However, had there been children or older adults in the home, officials said the ending could have been more tragic.
Burton fire officials stress the importance of having working smoke alarms, with battery backup, that are properly placed and less than 10 years old.
Burton residents who need smoke alarms, or have questions or need assistance, can contact the Burton Fire District at safetyed@burtonfd.org. All other residents are encouraged to contact their local fire department, as many have smoke alarm programs.
This story was originally published November 27, 2021 at 10:02 AM.
