House damaged by smoke, heat

Ledger photo by TIM GULLA Quick action by Gaffney Firefighters saved a Hetty Hill Road home early Monday evening. A kitchen fire was contained to just one room of the house. A Hetty Hill Road home sustained major smoke and heat damage early Monday evening when a kitchen fire erupted.

Fast response by Gaffney firefighters, however, kept fire damage to a minimum and will allow the home to be repaired.

The fire at 435 Hetty Hill, owned by Mary Dawkins, broke out after 6 p.m. and was contained within minutes. The cause of the fire was pinpointed to an unattended stove.

Receiving reports upon their arrival the homeowner may have been trapped inside, the commander of the first fire truck crew to arrive at the scene made a decision to enter the home before backup arrived, according to Gaffney Fire Chief Nathan Ellis.

"They didn't know if someone was in the house or not," Ellis said. Such decisions aren't uncommon, though. "If there are kids' toys outside and you don't see any kids," Ellis said of other incidents in which such action has been taken, "you're going to be making that decision."

Luckily, no one was inside the home and there were no injuries. A second truck was only seconds away when the decision was made for the first crew to enter the home.

While fire damage was contained to the kitchen area, smoke and heat impacted all rooms in the house.

"The damage was pretty significant," Ellis said. "Smoke is going to make its way around closed doors, under doors, and find its way into every room and closet."

A layer of black soot was visible on almost every window of the home.

Because of the fast response and entry by firefighters, no windows or doors were broken or blown out by the fire.

The American Red Cross was called to the scene to offer assistance to the homeowner, including temporary shelter and basic necessities.

Crews from all three Gaffney fire stations responded.