House fire takes 2 hours to extinguish due to summer heat

BURTON, SC (WSAV) – The Burton Fire District (BFD) is responding to a house fire on Bruce K Smalls Dr. in the Grays Hill area of ​​Beaufort County.

On Saturday, shortly after 12:30 p.m., emergency crews were dispatched to a reported house fire on Bruce K Smalls Dr, near Smith Rd, after receiving a 911 call reporting a “possible house on fire.” The caller also said it appeared the fire had just started, but “the flames were getting higher and higher.”

BFD arrived on scene and found a house completely engulfed in flames. The house had partially collapsed and had a wall with a chimney that appeared unstable.

Although firefighters quickly brought the fire under control, it took more than two hours to completely extinguish it due to the heat of the day and firefighters continually having to enter and exit.

Another problem was that the structure had completely collapsed, causing embers to burn beneath the debris.

Firefighters searched the remains of the home but found the structure to be unoccupied.

Bruce K Smalls was closed in both directions for more than an hour, then reduced to one lane for three hours while firefighters worked.

No injuries were reported. The fire remains under investigation.