Fire engulfs SC home, kills three dogs, displaces six people on chilly autumn morning
A fire that engulfed a home in Chapin early Friday displaced six people and killed three dogs after a kerosene heater was stored too close to combustible material, Lexington County authorities said.
The people who were displaced did not suffer injuries but are receiving help from the American Red Cross, according to a news release from Lexington County’s public information office.
Three dogs died after they were left in their crates at the house, county spokeswoman Vanessa Diaz said, confirming a report from WACH in Columbia.
The fire occurred before dawn Friday at the home in the 600 block of Meadowlark Road, authorities said. Fire units responded just after 5. a.m. Photographs released by the county showed a charred frame house with smoke still rising from the ruins after dawn.
County authorities had no further details on the fire, but said the blaze is a reminder of what can happen when the weather gets cold and people try to stay warm. Heating is considered the second leading cause of fires in homes, the Lexington County Fire Service said.
“The biggest mistake is putting something too close to a heating source. Keep anything that can burn three feet away from space heaters, fireplaces, wood stoves and radiators,’’ County Fire Marshal Adam Harmon said in the news release. “Remember that skin burns, too. Make sure that people and pets stay three feet away.’’
Temperatures were near freezing early Friday morning in the Chapin area, marking a sharp departure to the relatively warm weather the Columbia area has experienced this fall, according to the National Weather Service.
Harmon urged people who need portable heaters to use those that have been recommended by a testing laboratory and that have automatic shutoff switches, which cause the heaters to turn off if they tip over.
“Also remember to turn space heaters off when you leave the room or fall asleep.” Harmon said in the release. “Older adults are at increased risk from home fires and have a higher home fire death rate. Heating is the second leading cause of fire deaths for people ages 65 and over.”
