Tuesday a busy day for Gaffney firefighters

A Gaffney firefighter takes a break at an abandoned mobile home on Dean Street on Tuesday afternoon, the third structure fire of the day. The Dean Street fire was most likely a case of outdoor burning that got out of control. Luckily, officials said, no one was injured in any of the three fires. The work of Gaffney Firefighters was far from finished after they doused a possible arson fire on Mattie Street early Tuesday morning.

The second fire of the day for Gaffney firefighters broke out on Smith Street at about 9:30 a.m.

Gaffney Fire Chief Nathan Ellis said the fire appeared to have started in a closet that contained a clothes dryer in the home's garage.

"They (the firefighters) were able to make a pretty effective attack," the chief said.

While he couldn't vouch for the contents of the home, Ellis said it appeared firefighters were able to save the structure.

A third fire on Tuesday on Dean Street completely destroyed an abandoned mobile home, blistered the paint on a car parked about 20 paces from it, and sparked several small brush fires as much as 100 yards away as a breeze carried embers with it.

Ellis said it appeared the Dean Street fire was most likely a case of outdoor burning that got out of control. A resident was burning yard waste at the time, the chief said.

Ellis said he was referring the matter to the South Carolina Forestry Commission, which regulates outdoor burning in unincorporated areas of the state. The Dean Street fire occurred just outside city limits.

The Forestry Commission has a message system that informs callers of what they can burn and advises them of some basic safety tips and weather conditions.

"The purpose of that whole system, if the fire gets out of control and burns something it's not supposed to burn, the Forestry Commission can hold you responsible for allowing the fire to get out of control," Ellis said.

Ellis said he was told the Forestry Commission would most likely look at the situation on Wednesday.

At the very least, the Dean Street fire highlighted the dangers of outdoor burning.

"It's a good thing to remind everybody about outdoor burning," he said. "Always stay with it and have a means to put it out because the person doing the burning can ultimately be held responsible, even if they're following the rules and doing everything right."

Grassy Pond Volunteer Fire Department's Tanker Truck 31 and Tanker Truck 32 assisted the Gaffney Fire Department at the scene. The two tanker trucks shuttled water from a hydrant several hundred yards away.