Spartanburg Man Fights Fire With Garden Hose

Willhemeena Fuller’s house caught fire Saturday, but she didn’t dial 911 for help.

Instead, her boyfriend grabbed the garden hose and ran up the stairs to the attic to put out the blaze.

Fuller said she heard on the news that the fire department was charging for response. The story she was referring to was on Cherokee County’s ordinance – that has been repealed – allowing volunteer fire departments in the county to charge insurance companies of those who cause accidents and fires.

She said she’s glad to hear there’s no charge. Spartanburg Fire officials are hoping Fuller’s experience will lead to more people being aware that there is no charge for fire service in Spartanburg County.

Spartanburg Fire Marshal Mike Julazedah said it’s dangerous not to call 911 when a fire breaks out. He said in this case, even though the fire appeared to be out when they arrived on the scene, firefighters found hot spots smoldering in the attic that would have reignited later in the night, possibly killing the people in the home.

Cherokee County Council Chairman Bailey Humphries defended the ordinance Fuller referred to, which didn’t apply to Spartanburg anyway. He said the ordinance was officially repealed last week. He says it is actually a good ordinance designed to help taxpayers recover money spent on responding to major accidents on I-85, but because of the negative publicity it received, people were scared to call 911 because they didn't want to get stuck with a bill. So they had to scrap the ordinance over concern for public safety.

Julazedah said Saturday’s fire was caused by unattended cooking.

Here is the release from the fire marshal:

Residents Reluctant to Call 911 during House Fire

Spartanburg, SC (March 5, 2010): The Spartanburg Fire Division responded to a residential structure fire on Oxford Road just after 10:00 PM on March 5, 2010. Fire personnel arrived on scene in less than 5 minutes to discover a living room fire that had been substantially extinguished by the resident. Firefighters discovered smoldering pockets of fire in the wall progressing toward the attic.

The Fire Investigation revealed the residents were using a small electric cooking device in the living room which ignited the fabric covering on an adjacent chair. The occupants left the room for approximately 5 minutes and returned to find the chair, curtains, and other furnishing fully involved in flames and fire extending to the ceiling. The residents used a garden hose to extinguish most of the fire while a neighbor called 911.

The occupants of the home indicated they were afraid to call 911 and request the fire department due to recent news stories regarding "fees for fire service" in adjoining counties. The occupants believed they would be assessed a fee for the fire department response and chose to fight the fire themselves instead of calling for help.

The Spartanburg Fire Division does not charge fees for emergency incidents. Residents are encouraged to call 911 as soon as an emergency occurs so emergency personnel may respond quickly and intervene during the early stages of an incident.

Citizens are reminded to never leave cooking unattended, test and maintain smoke alarms, plan and practice a home escape plan, and call 911 as soon as an emergency occurs. Please contact the Spartanburg Fire Division for additional advice or information. Additional safety tips can be found on the Public Safety Website at http://spsdonline.org.