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Heat adds to problems at house fire
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The fire was intense enough to melt nearby fencing and siding. - photo by Photo by Sandi Van Orden

Effingham County fire investigators are looking into why a Jamestown Road home erupted in flames late Tuesday night in an apparent barbecuing accident.

More than two dozen Effingham Fire and Rescue and Rincon Fire Department firefighters battled the blaze for an hour, which was already well under way by the time they arrived, said Effingham Fire Lt. Walter Wright.

“It was already through the roof when the first vehicles got on the scene,” he said. “It was so far gone when we got there. It had a good head start.”

The late afternoon fire also meant other problems for the firefighters. Temperatures cracked the low to mid 90s Tuesday and two fire fighters had to be treated for heat-related problems.

Wright said that on a scene such as the one Tuesday, where firefighters in full bunker gear are engaged in putting out a fire and the temperatures are high, they will set up a rehab unit. There, firefighters can be pulled off the line and get rehydrated.

“You’re only allowed to do so much. Then, you have to go to the rehab unit,” he said.

That also means there have to be enough firefighters on hand to be able to go after the fire in waves and have other personnel pulled off the line before it gets too dangerous for them.

Crews had to deal with not having enough water to put out the fire Tuesday. A hydrant in the neighborhood supplied enough water for the fire engines, Wright said, but the tankers had to be called in to supply water for the ladder trucks.

The fire began after the homeowner began barbecuing outside, neighbors told Wright. None of the home’s occupants were injured.

‘It Was Overwhelming': Rincon Mayor Kevin Exley Shares His Personal Journey Through Cancer and Recovery
Exley cancer
​Rincon Mayor Kevin Exley ringing the cancer bell at Lewis Cancer & Research Pavilion after completing treatment for head and neck cancer — a moment he called emotional, humbling, and the start of a new chapter. (Submitted photo)
After weeks of intensive cancer treatment, Rincon Mayor Kevin Exley is returning to city hall and his full-time job in Savannah. In his first interview since ringing the cancer bell, Exley opens up about the pain, faith, and community support that carried him through the hardest chapter of his life. Now cancer-free, he reflects on the emotional journey — and the gratitude he feels to be moving forward, one step at a time.
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