82-year-old man was killed in early morning fire, Richland County coroner says
An 82-year-old man who died in a Richland County house fire has been identified.
The Richland County Coroner’s Office has identified the man who died in a Wednesday morning fire as Frank Dort of Eastover.
At about 3:40 a.m. Wednesday, firefighters responded to a burning building on Reese Road in Eastover, the fire department said. That’s near U.S. 378/Garners Ferry Road, about 2 miles from McEntire Joint National Guard Base.
The first units on the scene said it was a fully involved fire at the home.
A male who lived at the home was waiting outside and said he pulled another occupant, Dort, out of the house, according to the fire department.
Richland County EMS was also on the scene and provided care for Dort. The Richland County Coroner’s Office was called, the fire department said.
The coroner’s office has not publicly identified the victim.
No other injuries were reported, fire department spokesman Mike DeSumma told The State.
The fire was brought under control and extinguished, the fire department said. Information about how long it took to put out the blaze was not available.
The home suffered significant damages, according to the fire department.
There was no word on where the blaze originated, but the Richland County Fire Marshal’s Office is investigating the cause of the fire, the fire department said. There was no word if foul play is suspected.
This is at least the second deadly fire in Richland County in the past eight days.
On March 21, a 95-year-old man died after a fire in a home on Wilkes Road in Columbia, according to the fire department.
One person was hurt in a separate fire at a Massey Circle home Monday night, the fire department said. Further information on that person’s condition was not available.
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This story was originally published March 29, 2023 at 11:22 AM.
