TRYON—On Monday June 17, the Tryon Fire Department responded to a structure fire on Hogback Mountain Road. The first call reached the Tryon Fire Department from a resident of Doubleday Road who reported large black smoke clouds. 

Tryon Fire Chief Geoff Tennant said that he and Stott went to the caller’s home to get a view of the smoke. Upon arriving, Chief Tennant confirmed that the smoke was dark black indicating a structure fire rather than a forest fire.  From that vantage point Chief Tennant was able to locate the fire on Hogback Mountain Road. 

Chief Tennant said that standard protocol now calls for four departments to respond to structure fires. The fire on Hogback Mountain Road required the assistance of more than what is typically estimated.  

The heat and humidity of the day, in addition to the extreme heat of the fire, forced firefighters to work in 15-minute shifts to avoid head exhaustion and endangering themselves. Due to the high heat, humidity, and severity of the fire, a total of seven fire departments were on scene. The Tryon Fire Department was assisted by the Columbus Fire Department, Landrum Fire and Rescue, Saluda Fire Department, Mill Spring Fire Department, Green Creek Fire Department and the Campobello Fire Department.  

In addition to support from surrounding fire departments, the Tryon Fire Department also received support from the Polk County Sheriff’s Office, Polk County EMS, and the Tryon Police Department. 

Chief Tennant and Stott were first on the scene, with Stott doing a perimeter survey to determine if anyone was in the home at the time. There was a car in the garage when they arrived that led them to believe that it was possible, but after checking they determined that the house was empty. It was later determined that the house is the owner’s second home while they primarily reside in Spartanburg.   

“We worked for four hours and 46 minutes to contain and extinguish the fire,” Chief Tennant said. “The residents were not home at the time and we did not have any serious injuries to any of the first responders.” One firefighter suffered from minor heat exhaustion and dehydration but was able to be treated on the scene.  

In addition to the structure fire, the North Carolina Forestry Service was called in to help prevent the fire from spreading into the woods surrounding the home. Roughly one quarter of an acre of forest was burned around the home before the NC Forestry Service was able to create a barrier around the fire and prevent it from spreading further.  

After the crews were able to control and extinguish the fire, the Tryon Fire Department along with the Polk County Sheriff’s Office spent just under two hours investigating the fire and attempted to find the cause. They were unable to determine the cause of the fire but they did determine what they believe is the location where it started.  

Chief Tennant said that the home was over 30 years old and made of older, more solid materials compared to some of the more modern structures. While there are some portions of the home still standing, Chief Tennant said that the damage from the fire, smoke, and water are too extensive to consider saving the existing structure. Even the areas of the house that were not directly affected by the fire have received heavy smoke and water damage during the efforts to get the scene under control.  

While crews worked to contain the fire, the traffic on Hogback Mountain Road was brought to a stand still. The Tryon Police Department and the Polk County Sheriff’s Office worked to ease the traffic congestion.  

“Everybody did a great job, nobody does it on their own. You got to have help and we appreciate those that came and helped us and we are happy to help reciprocate that,” Chief Tennant said.  

The Tryon Fire Department also provides residents with smoke detectors if they are needed. Chief Tennant said that those are available at the Fire Department to anyone, and additionally, that the Tryon firefighters will install them for residents free of charge.  

By Samuel Robinson
Sam.robinson@tryondailybulletin.com