Lightning strikes Beaufort apartment building, sparks blaze. It wasn’t the only fire
Lightning struck an apartment building in Beaufort late Thursday, sparking a fire and displacing three families.
It was one of two fires in 12 hours that the City of Beaufort/Town of Port Royal Fire Department responded to Thursday and early Friday.
At 5:15 p.m. Thursday, a fire was reported at Bay South apartment homes off Mossy Oaks Road.
Assistant Chief Ross Vezin said lightning sparked the blaze in the attic.
“We were able to keep the damage to a minimum,” Vezin said.
The Lowcountry Chapter of the American Red Cross was called on behalf of three occupants of the apartment building, he said.
No injuries were reported.
Beaufort/Port Royal Fire Department, Parris Island Fire and Emergency Services, Beaufort County EMS, Beaufort Police Department, Dominion Energy and BJWSA responded to the fire.
The second fire was reported 2:30 a.m. Friday on Old Jericho Road in Beaufort.
On arrival, firefighters found a tow truck fully involved and endangering a residential structure.
Firefighters were able to quickly extinguish the fire and prevent it from spreading to the home. The cause of the fire is under investigation, Vezin said.
The department responded to 22 emergency calls in 24 hours.
“The most important part is we had no injuries,” Shift 2 Battalion Chief Matt Bowsher said of the busy day.
Smoke alarms available
The City of Beaufort/Town of Port Royal Fire Department has a free smoke alarm program with its partners at Red Cross. If you need a smoke alarm, call 843-525-7055.
This story was originally published August 20, 2021 at 11:06 AM.
