Sept. 03--A blaze roared through a Beech Island home early Tuesday just hours after crews had extinguished a smaller fire in the same house.
Crews first responded to the fire on Wall Street at about 12:30 a.m., according to Capt. Brandon Padilla of the Midland Valley Fire Department. They left the scene at about 2:30 a.m. but were called back at about 4 a.m. after the fire apparently rekindled. Padilla said the home was "fully involved" when crews arrived the second time.
"It can happen. Fires can hide," he said of the blaze rekindling. "We checked it with every means we have. ... When we left, it was in a safe position."
The couple who live in the home, Sampie Noakes and Julie Jones, smelled smoke when the first fire broke out.
"They put it out and told us that they had it," Noakes said.
The couple decided to spend the night in a camper behind their home, but Noakes said they woke up at about 3:30 a.m. to their dog barking.
"I looked out the window and saw the flames," Noakes said. "It had caught on fire again. I told her to call the fire department. It was really blazing up by the time I got out here."
Noakes said they had recently completed renovations to the home, including remodeling the inside and adding siding to the outside.
The Aiken County Sheriff's Office is investigating the cause of the blaze. No injuries were reported while extinguishing the fire.
The home was insured, and Noakes and Jones are being assisted by the American Red Cross, according to Joey Hutto, disaster service specialist for the Aiken chapter.
Teddy Kulmala covers the crime and courts beat for the Aiken Standard.
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