From staff reports
A young girl riding her bike on the street on Friday, April 10 went home and told her dad to call 911 because she saw a fire.
Three minutes later, around 6:15 p.m., the first arriving ladder company from the City of Beaufort/Town of Port Royal Fire Department arrived on scene to find smoke and flames showing from the rear of one of the units at Wilderness Cove apartments at 1305 Talbird Road.
Flames were found coming from the first floor of the apartment and spread to the second-floor balcony. Firefighters were able to extinguish the fire in approximately five minutes, preventing the fire from spreading to any other units.
“She really helped us get on scene quickly and enabled us … to extinguish the fire quickly and without it spreading or damaging any adjacent properties” Battalion Chief Peter Dontje said.
The incident remains under investigation. No injuries were reported.
The City of Beaufort/Town of Port Royal Fire Department, Beaufort County EMS, City of Beaufort Police Department, Parris Island Fire & Emergency Services, and Dominion Energy all responded to the incident.
Fire Safety Tips
Compiled by the City of Beaufort/Town of Port Royal Fire Department:
Never smoke in bed.
Properly discard smoking materials in an ashtray or bucket with sand.
Never smoke around medical oxygen.
Put smoke materials out all the way.
Keep your grill at least 10 feet away from your house.
Clean your grill regularly.
Always keep a fire extinguisher within a couple feet of your grill.
Never leave a grill unattended.
