Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes ofwebsite accessibility

Firefighters not the only ones helping in fighting Dewees Island fire


Dewees Island firefighters were still watching hot spots on Wednesday. (John Gaddy/WCIV)
Dewees Island firefighters were still watching hot spots on Wednesday. (John Gaddy/WCIV)
Facebook Share IconTwitter Share IconEmail Share Icon

By Natalie Caulancaula@abcnews4.com

DEWEES ISLAND, S.C. (WCIV) - Dewees Island sits off Isle of Palms. A quick trip for fast food or any restaurant on the island is out of reach. The only way on and off is by boat. Judy Fairchild has a home on the island and Wednesday it was non-stop as she rode around on her golf cart on the dirt roads. She's part of a small community that gets involved in everything on the island and Wednesday was no exception after two homes caught fire Tuesday night.

The homes that were destroyed were right next to each other on the island. One was under construction and wasn't completed. The other was a home a North Carolina family had been living in for several years. They were not here at the time.

Dewees Fire Department officials say they don't know what caused the fire and are still investigating. Residents say more than 30 firefighters from Isle of Palms, Sullivan's Island, Mount Pleasant and Awendaw got on the island to help.

Loud booms could be heard Tuesday night as propane tanks from one of the burning homes exploded and witnesses say you could see the flames from the Isle of Palms connector.

"Fire is a sobering thing. We're very blessed here to have a community that's taking care of itself. We have a fire department," Fairchild said.

At first, the Dewees Fire Department started working on containing the blaze while volunteers on the island did their assigned tasks, jobs they've been given for emergencies.

"Everybody pitched in. We sort of practiced this," Artus Moser said. "Some of the volunteers were helping set up the fire hose and plug into the hydrants, getting hoses going."

Moser is the Dewees Island Property Owners Association president and Wednesday he was on the scene of the fire, where charred remnants of the homes only remained. He and others were still doing what they could, pulling hoses, feeding and hydrating the firefighters. While the community helped in different ways, Fairchild says some reports were exaggerated.

"There was an initial response that we had a couple residents battling a fire with garden hoses and that's misleading. We did have residents that had garden hoses but that was auxiliary and taking care of embers that were way out on the periphery," she said.

Even still, Fairchild knows without the islanders help, their piece of paradise may have been in bigger trouble.

"We're all looking around today with a profound sense of gratitude that we have this connection and everybody pulled together," Fairchild said.

While they may look like their on their own out on Dewees, Fairchild says it's anything but solitary.

{}

Loading ...