West Columbia fire destroys 2 homes, displaces 7 people

Seven people were displaced after a house fire in West Columbia on Tuesday destroyed a home and an apartment over the separate garage.

The fire broke out in a house on the 4000 block of Florentine Road around 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, according to Lexington County spokesman Harrison Cahill. Firefighters saw heavy smoke coming from the home when they arrived.

The home and an apartment over the garage were declared total losses, Cahill said. Two homes near the house had heat damage.

The cause and origin of the fire are still under investigation, Cahill said. The American Red Cross is assisting the seven people displaced by the fire.

Lexington County firefighters were assisted by the West Columbia Fire Department and the Cayce Department of Public Safety.

The blaze comes a day after firefighters battled two separate mobile home fires in West Columbia. A house fire that killed a 64-year-old woman in Gaston over the weekend has been turned over to the State Law Enforcement Division for investigation.

This story was originally published March 7, 2017 at 3:12 PM with the headline "West Columbia fire destroys 2 homes, displaces 7 people."