Two Fires in County – One Resulted in Propane Tank Explosions

Two Fires in County – One Resulted in Propane Tank Explosions

Two fires in as many days in the Merriwether/North Augusta section of Edgefield County kept the Merriwether and County Line Fire Departments busy at the beginning of the week.  The first fire occurred on Sunday, Feb. 24, a little after 2:30 in the afternoon on the 400 block of Miller Street.  According to Merriwether Fire Chief Joey Smith, who spoke to the Advertiser regarding both fires, this fire was confined to two rooms of the home, the kitchen and laundry rooms, but the entire structure received heavy smoke damage. The fire is believed to have been caused by an electrical short.  The ten residents of the home were at the site at the time of the fire, but fortunately, there were no injuries reported as a result of this fire.

The second fire occurred Monday, Feb. 25, on the 200 block of Moore Road. This fire began on the outside of a cabinet shop and burned 2 acres of woods, but the home received minimal damage. However, seven propane tanks located on the property did explode as a result of the fire.  Moore Road was shut down for about 2 hours while the fire was contained, but no evacuations were made.  One person, an occupant of the home, did suffer from smoke inhalation and was transported by EMS to a local hospital with what was described as non-life threatening injuries.  Besides MFD, CLFD, and EMS, the Edgefield County Sheriff’s Office also responded to this scene.