Beaufort fire displaces 3, causes extensive damage to home

A residential fire in downtown Beaufort has left three displaced and caused severe damage to the home, officials say.

The fire broke out just after 2 a.m. Saturday morning at a home in the 1100 block of Congress Street, two blocks from Boundary Street, Chief Reece Bertholf said in a statement released Saturday afternoon.

Three occupants at home at the time of the fire woke to the sound of loud popping coming from the rear of the home.

The residents found both a shed, a few feet behind the house, as well as the rear of the home fully engulfed, Bertholf said. The residents were able to get out of the home and were not injured in the incident.

In addition, firefighters worked to extinguish a neighbor’s shed which caught on fire after the blaze spread to that structure and worked to protect the neighbor’s home as well, Bertholf said.

The home suffered smoke and water damage. Half of the home is a total loss, he said.

An investigation found no working smoke detectors in the home, Bertholf said. The investigation also revealed the fire was caused by a plastic tarp that was too close to flood light.

Three fire engine companies and one ladder company with 12 on-duty firefighters as well as 13 off-duty firefighters responded to the blaze, Bertholf said

The American Red Cross is assisting the displaced residents with housing. There were no other injuries in the incident.

This story was originally published February 27, 2016 at 1:33 PM with the headline "Beaufort fire displaces 3, causes extensive damage to home."