LITTLE MOUNTAIN, S.C. — In Little Mountain, a house fire early Friday morning has left eight people without a home and four pets dead.
The 100-year old home, now charred black after flames were put out around 5 a.m.
That's according to Lexington County fire officials and the Red Cross, who said around 30 firefighters and four fire service departments responded to the 600 block of Meadowlark Road.
Fire officials said they saw heavy fire and smoke coming from the front door in the front porch area when they arrived, but they were able to put it out in about 45 minutes.
It's been a hard day for fire victim Deloise Tallman.
"All grandkids and kids and my mother's kids born and raised here. So it's a sad day for us, but hopefully we will prosper in life and make it on. Thank God for friends and people on earth," Tallman said.
Tallman said she's thankful for what she does still have, but will not look at a space heater the same way again.
"Kerosene heaters are not a good source of heat," Tallman said.
"He (an 18-year-old) woke up to the floor around him on fire and he got up, notified everyone and he actually grabbed the space heater, the kerosene heater itself, as he was going out and tossed it out. Because he was concerned that the device would contribute to more fire or potentially explode," said Adam Harmon, Lexington County Fire Service deputy fire marshal.
As the temperatures begin to dip here in South Carolina, fire officials want people to know how to operate space heaters.
"If you're asleep or it's unattended, we recommend that it's shut off," said Adam Harmon, Lexington County Fire Service deputy fire marshal.
He adds that space heaters should also not be plugged into an extension cord or power strip. If you are using a space heater, Harmon said to make sure it's tested from a recognized laboratory, has a UL rating and an automatic shut off.
Harmon said in the case of this house fire, the heater was within a foot of the bed and the exit leading out of the room. He adds that a bed sheet or blanket nearby was what started the fire.
"One of the things we do talk about is the safety in preventing fires. And in this case, with space heaters, we tell folks to keep space heaters three feet away from anything that burnable," said Kimberly Gonzalez, Red Cross disaster program specialist.
Gonzalez said the Red Cross canvasses neighborhoods to provide fire safety education to families in the Midlands, but sometimes it's too late.
"We respond to this quite often. There have been days we've responded to over five fires in one day in similar situations," said Jake Jacobs, Red Cross disaster supervisor manager for Richland and Lexington Counties.
"Now that we're getting closer to the cold season, please be careful with what you put next to your drapes as well as just make sure you check your smoke alarms on a regular basis now more so than ever just because they do expire," Gonzalez said.
The Red Cross said all eight people who were displaced are staying with neighbors or in a hotel tonight.
"I'm just thankful being here, even if you have nothing," Tallman said.