Man badly burned when Byrdtown camper catches fire
By Bobby Bryant, Editor
A Darlington County man was badly burned Feb. 2 when the camper he lived in caught fire, apparently because a space heater was placed too close to furniture, officials said. The man suffered burns over about 75 percent of his body, said Darlington County Fire District Chief Ricky Flowers. He was airlifted to a burn center, and his condition was not available. Flowers said firefighters were called to the Byrdtown community on Bethlehem Road about 2 a.m. The camper – about 8 feet by 20 feet — was essentially engulfed in fire when firefighters arrived, he said. A neighbor told firefighters she thought the camper’s owner was still inside. But he made it out, “screaming for help,” badly burned, Flowers said. The camper, the man’s home, “was pretty much completely burned away,” he said. “There’s not much left. We believe the fire was started by a space heater too close to furniture.” Winter always brings increased fire danger, and Flowers urged residents to be cautious. In the past few weeks, house fires have been reported on North Main Street in Darlington and Catawba Street in Hartsville; the Red Cross assisted at both.