Fire guts S'ville home

Fire gutted one Summerville apartment Friday night and left four others with smoke damage, driving five families from their homes.

Summerville Fire and Rescue Battalion Chief Anthony Mire said the call came in just after 11 p.m. Friday, a 911 call that a fire had started in the kitchen of a unit at the Summerfield Apartments, at 300 Miles Road.

When firefighters arrived they found the blaze raging but confined to one apartment.

Within 30 minutes, Summerville firefighters had the fire under control.

It hadn't spread, but surrounding apartments in the building suffered serious smoke damage. No residents or firefighters were injured in the fire.

The Carolina Lowcountry Chapter of the American Red Cross said Saturday that its staff helped 10 adults and nine children who were displaced as a result of the fire, providing hotel rooms and money to replace food and clothing lost in the blaze.

Although the initial emergency call said a kitchen fire caused the damage, Summerville Fire and Rescue investigators have not yet determined what caused the fire.

Their investigation is continuing.