Fire flattens building off US 21; slow start to Monday commute in northern Beaufort County
Update: All lanes of Trask Parkway were open as of 11:40 a.m. Monday.
An early morning fire swallowed an abandoned building along U.S. 21 early Monday, leaving behind a bed of blackened debris and traffic delays that would extend well into the morning. Authorities believe no one had been inside the structure, whose property is zoned for commercial use.
Fire crews responded around 3 a.m. Monday near the intersection of Trask Parkway and Poppy Hill Circle, slightly north of the Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort. Over the course of hours, an initial tower of flames was shrunk down into small hotspots, which firefighters were still extinguishing among the building’s wreckage as of 6:30 a.m., according to the Burton Fire District.
As of 9 a.m. Monday, officials had closed the southbound lanes of Trask Parkway between Poppy Hill and Parker Drive, where traffic was rerouted into the two northbound lanes “with no timeframe to reopen.” Google Maps data showed significant backups on a mile-plus stretch of the highway.
Burton Fire spokesperson Daniel Byrne would not say whether the fire had been deemed suspicious. The incident was under investigation as of Monday morning.
This report will be updated.
This story was originally published June 17, 2024 at 9:12 AM.
