‘A lot of smoke, a ton of heat, a lot of hours’

Firefighters at the Darlington Shredding Co. site gather around the control console for the infrared drone used by West Florence Fire and Rescue. PHOTO COURTESY WEST FLORENCE FIRE & RESCUE



A view from the drone, showing fire trucks and cranes at work at the Darlington Shredding fire. By this time, the fire is nearly out. PHOTO COURTESY WEST FLORENCE FIRE & RESCUE
By Bobby Bryant, Editor
Here’s what it took to put out the massive scrapyard fire at Darlington Shredding Co. on Oct. 22: — An estimated 1.5 million gallons of water. — The aid of 85 firefighters from around the Pee Dee region and in some cases from as far away as Oconee County. — Help from 17 fire departments. — One airborne drone with infrared capabilities, supplied by West Florence Fire and Rescue. “It’s a big event,” said Darlington County Fire District Chief Ricky Flowers. “For any fire department, (a fire like this) is a big event. It’s a lot of smoke, a ton of heat, a lot of hours.” And it still wasn’t as bad as Flowers thought it might have been. He first estimated it might take 24 hours to extinguish. But even so, he said, it wasn’t all that unusual for fires of this kind. A huge pile of scrap metal at the Darlington Shredding recycling company off U.S. 52 caught fire about 8 a.m. The cause had not been determined, but Flowers said a spark could have caused it. The dry weather created an environment that made the fire spread faster, he said. Smoke from the fire could be seen from miles away. Fire stations from around the area immediately responded, including West Florence Fire and Rescue and their $10,000 drone, which can “see” into the infrared and locate hot spots that aren’t visible to firefighters on the ground. Flowers said the Darlington County Fire District has drones, but none with infrared capability. The West Florence drone “was a huge help,” Flowers said. “I couldn’t tell you how many hours it saved us. It was amazing.” (Some officials estimated it saved at least eight hours’ work for firefighters. The Darlington Shredding fire was “really the first major incident” that drone has been used on, one West Florence Fire and Rescue official said.) Flowers estimated that about 85 firefighters were involved in the effort, mostly from the Pee Dee, but some from as far away as Oconee County, a four-hour drive. Not all fought the fire; some covered for firefighters who were at the scene and couldn’t work routine calls. “It was definitely a team effort,” Flowers said. He said two firefighters came in from Oconee County and several from Lancaster County. “It’s so amazing what our state can do,” Flowers said. “They were more than willing to go out and work with us.” He also credited Darlington Shredding employees with working hard to support the firefighters. No injuries were reported.