Fire at Darlington Dollar General
The Dollar General at 904 Lamar Hwy caught fire around 7:30 on Friday, Jan. 13
A fire broke out early Friday evening, January 13, at the Dollar General store located on the Lamar Highway just outside Darlington. Firefighters from Darlington County Fire District, City of Darlington Fire and Rescue, and Palmetto Rural Fire District responded to the call, which came in at 7:39 p.m.
Chief Pat Cavanaugh of the Darlington Fire Department tells the News and Press that his department sent a fire engine and ladder truck in response to the mutual aid call for a heavy fire, which evidently started while the Dollar General store was open for business.
As of around 9 p.m. Friday evening, the fire was still burning. Ladder truck crews were cutting access ports in the building’s roof to feed water into the store. Smoke was visible billowing through the front doors.
Lt. Robert Kilgo of the Darlington County Sheriff’s Office released a statement on January 14 noting that the fire started due to an electrical problem. The statement read:
“Darlington County Sheriff’s Office investigators, along with the assistance of the Darlington County Fire District and the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, have determined last night’s fire at the Dollar General on Lamar Highway in Darlington was ignited by an electrical malfunction near paper products.
The Darlington County Sheriff’s Office would like to thank the Darlington County Fire District, the City of Darlington Fire Department and SLED for their assistance with this incident. Also, due to the quick action by the Dollar General employees no injuries were sustained by customers or employees.”
Fire crews cut holes in the roof to fight the blaze from above.
