‘Boom,’ fire brings heavy response to Loris Tractor Supply
A truck driver on the phone in the Twin City Motors parking lot as water from a tower truck is sprayed on the Tractor Supply next door Wednesday afternoon. (Deuce Niven, TLT)
By DEUCE NIVEN
tribdeuce@tabor-loris.com
An explosive sound, “boom,” as described by employees next door at Twin City Motors, resulted in a fire that brought a heavy response to Tractor Supply from multiple agencies Wednesday afternoon.
That “boom” was followed by several smaller “booms,” the car lot employee said.
Heavy smoke billowed from the rear of the store on Frontage Road just off of US 701 north of Loris before 4 p.m. A Loris Police Department officer keeping bystanders away warned of an explosive danger and said he had heard what appeared to be the initial “boom” at the police department.
“They’ve got propane tanks,” the officer said.
Responding crews “found a well involved fire in the Garden Center area of the store,” a news release from Lt.Robert Rudelitch of the Loris Fire Department said. “Smake and water damage was sustained to the building. Building was evacuated and no reported injuries.”
Store employees said the fire apparently started outside the store in an area where materials and equipment, including ATVs, were stored. Fire that spread to the roof may have involved hay blown there from the garden center area.
One tower truck deployed from the rear of the building put down a heavy amount of water for an extended period. A second tower truck from Tabor City was deployed from the front, firefighters there apparently serving as lookouts, with no water sprayed from that truck.
Airport Road was shut down as a hydrant located on the north side of the road was used for a supply hose that extended to the Tractor Supply driveway, past Twin City Motors.
In addition to the Loris Fire Department Horry County Fire Rescue responded with many trucks from a broad area of the county, with additional equipment and manpower called in from Tabor City. Two Nakina Fire Department trucks were briefly on scene and were apparently released before deploying their resources.
Look for more on this story in the next Tabor-Loris Tribune in print and online.
A firefighter on a roof at Tractor Supply Wednesday directs spray from a tower truck. (Deuce Niven, TLT)
