2 non-fatal, unrelated fires occur in Sumter city, county limits on Friday

Sumter Fire Department responded to two unrelated fires on Friday, June 7.

COUNTY

At about 9:05 a.m. Friday morning, June 7, Sumter Fire Rescue responded to a call on South Hampton Street in Pinewood. Upon arrival, firefighters found a two-story house with flames showing from the first and second story, according to the incident report.

Other units, including Clarendon County Fire Rescue and Shaw Air Force Base, assisted in extinguishing the fire along with Sumter city firefighters.

The homeowner was transported to Prisma Health Tuomey Hospital with burns, and American Red Cross was notified to further assist the victim.

The origin of the fire, according to the incident report, was in the garage of the home; the cause was undetermined after investigation.

Total damage to property was $300,000 and $50,000 in contents was lost, the incident report stated.

Firefighters departed the scene just after noon.

CITY

Hours later at 10:25 p.m., within the city limits, firefighters responded to a report of a business on fire along South Main Street. Units arrived at the corner of Dingle and South Sumter streets to find a vacant, large one-story commercial building, at 321 S. Sumter St., heavily engulfed in flames, according to the incident report.

The engulfed structure, a vacant building once used by First Baptist Church, according to the incident report, was adjacent to the idle, or not often used, warehouse at 315 S. Sumter St. The initial fire spread and reached the roof of the nearby building, the report said.

Firefighters extinguished the fire in the attic, checking for any further spread. The origin and cause of the initial fire was undetermined after investigation.

The damage to the 321 S. Sumter St. structure totaled $50,000, according to the incident report.

Firefighters departed the scene at 5 a.m. Saturday, June 8.