Fire destroyed a house and a 3-unit condominium at Riverwood Farms, a gated community on Gibbs Shoals Road and Gladstone Way Wednesday afternoon.
Greer Fire Chief Chris Harvey said there was no loss of life or injuries but several firefighters were treated by EMS.
The destroyed house was purchased five days ago by parents of twin babies. They were home at the time but escaped safely, Harvey said.
“It was a little hairy there for a while,” Harvey said. “We’re thankful there is no loss of life or injuries. If this would have happened at 3 a.m. it could have been very tragic.”
The 911 call of a brush fire off of Dillard Road quickly got out of control because of high winds. The fire spread, apparently making entry “into the back porch area of one of the dwellings,” Harvey said.
Neighbors reportedly rushed to the fires with buckets and garden hoses to douse hotspots. “We were set up to attack the grass fires,” Harvey said of the delay reaching the residences. “We would have been able to respond within three minutes.”
“A call came in at 2:39 on Gladstone Road of a pretty major brush fire,” Harvey said. “The fire jumped down between fences and was pushed by strong winds into the cul-de-sac where the buildings caught on fire. The humidity was very dry and there was not a lot of rain this week,” he said of contributing factors. “Due to the high wind it fueled the fire.”
There were no sprinklers in the homes but they were not required, Harvey said, because of the firewalls built into the structures.
Harvey said the direction of the wind apparently caused embers to land onto or near the structures. Minor damage was reported to nearby homes.
Harvey said the fire was under control and fire units were responding to hot spots into the evening.
Firefighters from the City of Greer, Boiling Springs FD, Taylors, Pelham Batesville and personnel from Lake Cunningham responded.