While major house fires don’t occur often on Isle of Palms, firefighters from across the Charleston area responded to two in March that happened less than 24 hours apart. No individuals were hurt, but both fires caused significant damage: one to a home on Ocean Boulevard and the other to a residence along Palmetto Drive.
“Extensive fire damage was sustained at the Ocean Boulevard home due to the incident being wind-driven and heavily involved prior to dispatch,” said IOP Fire Chief Craig Oliverius. “Water damage from fire suppression efforts affected units located beneath the primary and exposure fire units.”
Firefighters were called in from Mount Pleasant, Sullivan’s Island and downtown Charleston, along with first responders with Charleston County EMS, which assisted IOPFD in the incidents. Both fires were under control within an hour of dispatch.
The fires are still under investigation for root causes. IOP Fire Marshal Sean Harshaw and Oliverius have so far ruled out arson and any connection between the two fires. Despite the damage and upheaval to the homes, Oliverius said the reason neither blaze caused any casualties was that residents got out of the homes and immediately called 911.
Each fire was successful because the owner/occupants evacuated the structures and allowed the firefighters to do their job,” Oliverius said.
Even with the low frequency of island house fires, Oliverius added that with the prevalence of windy conditions and the IOP summer season at hand, residents and guests alike can avoid fires large and small with simple preventive and proactive measures:
- Always maintain working smoke alarms and have them checked at least twice per year
- Have at least one smoke alarm in a central area on each floor
- Keep a smoke alarm inside each bedroom
- Mount smoke alarms adjacent to kitchen areas, not inside the area directly
- Install an accessible fire extinguisher on each floor, specifically adjacent to the kitchen, and one on a patio if you utilize grills or other cooking devices
- Install a working carbon monoxide alarm, especially if you use gas appliances such as propane
- Close your bedroom doors at night because doing so provides a temporary safe haven from fire, and allows fire crews a better chance of rescuing a resident from a window by ground ladder
- If your best efforts at prevention still result in an accidental fire, have a common meeting place outside the structure determined in advance
“If you see visible smoke, immediately lower yourself to the floor and crawl to your closest exit because staying as low as possible is the best chance of staying beneath the hazards of smoke inhalation,” advised Oliverius. “And once outside, do not return to the structure for any reason. Let firefighters do their work.”
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