Commercial Structure Fire

On Monday, June 29, at approximately 4:30 pm, Midway Fire Rescue was dispatched to a commercial fire alarm at 14559 Ocean Highway (Total Care Dentistry) upon arrival of the first fire unit the incident was upgraded to a working commercial structure fire with smoke coming from the building.

Engine 811 and Ladder 814 quickly began an interior fire attack. Chief 2 (Crawford) arrived and established command and started a 360 of the structure, the crews continued their interior attack and were making progress until the heat became so intense that the crews were forced out of the structure. Ladder 814 and Ladder 821 went to the roof and started ventilating the structure in an attempt to relieve the heat and smoke from the building. Chief 1 (Eggiman) arrived and assumed command and placed Chief 2 as the operations chief. Crews were backed out of the structure and started a defensive attack on the fire.

Mutual aid was needed and a 2nd alarm was requested as the extreme heat and humidity took its toll on the firefighters. A wooden tongue and groove ceiling hampered firefighting efforts keeping firefighters from exposing the fire above the ceiling area.

Command marked control of the incident around 6:30 pm and all units cleared the scene by 11:00 pm. The fire reached a 3rd alarm assignment.

We would like to thank Murrells Inlet-Garden City Fire, Horry County, Myrtle Beach, Georgetown County Fire/EMS and Georgetown City Fire Department for providing crews to help extinguish this tough commercial fire.

Three firefighters were transported, and many evaluated on scene due to heat exhaustion.

Thank you to Domino’s Pizza in Pawleys Island for providing food for the over 60 plus firefighters on scene.

Update: The fire is under investigation (standard protocol) and our fire investigation unit is working on a cause of the fire. The Division of Fire and Life Safety (Midway Fire Rescue), Horry County Fire Investigators and Georgetown County Fire/EMS are conducting the investigation.