Fire and Lightning Strike Leave 10 SC Residents Displaced

At least 10 people have been displaced from their homes after a fire broke out at an apartment building and lightning struck a house on Hilton Head Saturday, officials say.

No injuries were reported in either case, according to Joheida Fister, a spokesperson for Hilton Head Island Fire Rescue.

The fire, which began around 12:15 p.m. on Southwood Park Drive, started in an upstairs unit of a multi-family building, Fister said. The two people living in the upstairs unit and the two living in the apartment downstairs were able to get out after smoke alarms went off. Firefighters were able to keep the fire from spreading past the upstairs bedroom where it began, causing heavy smoke and water damage to the unit upstairs. The downstairs apartment had damage caused by water coming from the upstairs apartment.

"It appears the occupant of the unit (where the fire started) may have left an appliance on while it was placed on top of the bed after using it, causing it to overheat and ignite the bedding," Fister said. "The Red Cross was called to assist the residents of both units until property management can make other arrangements for them."

At 3:49 p.m. that same day, firefighters were called out to a home on Hanahan Lane that had been hit by lightning, Fister said. When firefighters arrived, they found no fire, but the house's electrical system was damaged. A family of six was living at the house at the time of the lightning strike.

" Palmetto Electric was requested to disconnect power to the home to prevent any additional issues until the homeowner could contact an electrical contractor to further investigate the damage," she said.

Donations to help families that have been affected by disasters can be made to the American Red Cross online at redcross.org or by calling 1-800- RED-CROSS.

This story was originally published June 12, 2022 2:04 PM.

___

(c)2022 The Island Packet (Hilton Head, S.C.)

Visit The Island Packet (Hilton Head, S.C.) at www.islandpacket.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.