IRMO, S.C. — A fire at an Irmo apartment complex on Wednesday was caused by a child playing with fireworks, officials with the Irmo Fire District said Thursday.
The fire destroyed 10 units at River Oak Apartments early Wednesday afternoon, displacing 30 residents and injuring three.
The fire started around 1 p.m. at the complex located at 5324 Bush River Rd in St. Andrews, according to the Irmo Fire Department.
Crews arriving on scene said they found people jumping and hanging out of upper story windows in need of ladder rescue. A mother and her two children -- a one-month-old and a 1-year-old -- jumped to safety and incurred non-life-threatening injuries, six others were rescued by ladder teams.
Irmo Fire District Chief Mike Sonefeld said crews needed about 15 minutes to rescue the individuals before fighting the fire. It took 6 fire trucks and 30 firefighters about an hour to get the blaze under control.
NeNe Jennings, one of the displaced residents at River Oaks said, "Right now, we’re ok. The smoke in my lungs… it was a lot, I'd never felt anything like that ever before, but being out in the fresh air, I’m ok so far."
She and others were trying to figure out what to do next.
"Some people have lost completely everything," Jennings said. "I can’t tell if the fire touched my apartment, but by the amount of water used to put it out, probably everything is destroyed too."
Thursday afternoon, Chief Sonefeld said investigators had discovered the cause of the fire to be unintentional, sparked by a child playing with fireworks.
Sonefeld also reported that the two children injured during the fire were doing well but their mother remained in the hospital.
Area resident Tina Torres has organized a drive for food, clothing and other basic necessities that are needed for the 30 tenants who have been displaced. She will be collecting items through Thursday evening -- Christmas Eve. Contact Tina at TinaTorres@shedidthatevents.com for more information.
