Man Rescued From Apartment Fire

By Tim Gulla
Gaffney Ledger April 9, 2012

     With confirmed entrapment, City of Gaffney firefighters raced into a local apartment building Friday afternoon and emerged just a few moments later from a smoke-filled hallway with a man who had been unable to get out on his own.
     "We were very fortunate today," Fire Capt. Robert Grigg said. "He (the man) was very fortunate. I'm glad it turned out the way it did."
     The fire broke out at Town & Country Apartments off Ellis Ferry Avenue just before 5 p.m. Friday. Residents of the apartment building were alerted by a smoke alarm. Firefighters received a report of smoke showing even before their arrival.
     Almost immediately, firefighters confirmed that one man was trapped inside a burning apartment and they made entry. Within moments firefighters emerged from the doorway with the resident in a motorized wheelchair.
     The man's name was not immediately available, but Grigg reported he appeared to be doing well during a subsequent interview at Upstate Carolina Medical Center.
     The fire was believed to be an accident, caused by improperly discarded smoking materials. The fire apparently go close to an oxygen machine, as a burned unit labeled "No Smoking" was puled out of the building.
     Grigg reported that the building's smoke alarms did their jobs in alerting all the residents, as did the fire sprinkler system in the man's room that kept the fire in check.
     "We didn't have to evacuate anybody else," Grigg reported, though firefighters did a thorough room-by-room of the apartment building to make sure no one was left behind.
     The sprinkler system, he added, was a "big factor" in saving the resident's life.
     Due to the safety systems and the quick work of firefighters, damage was confined to one apartment in the building. All other residents were allowed to return to their rooms later in the evening. The room where the fire broke out sustained severe damage, including heat, smoke and water damage.
     Grigg credited the men under his command for an "outstanding job."

February News

 Jamie Caggiano Named City's New Fire Chief

 By LARRY HILLIARD Ledger Staff Writer larry@gaffneyledger.com

Twenty years of climbing the fire ladder, rather than the corporate ladder, has led Jamie Caggiano to be the City of Gaffney’s next fire chief. A firefighter for 20 years, Caggiano — the grandson of Sunny Slope founder Louis Caggiano — was named to the position Tuesday. He replaces Nathan Ellis, who resigned late last year.

Man Burned By Electrical Wires 

January News

FIRE GUTS RIDGEWAY ROAD HOME

The early morning blaze Friday began in the garage portion of the home, where officials pinpointed the area of origin to an electrical breaker box. A vehicle parked inside the garage burned as did a pickup truck parked adjacent to the structure. (Ledger photo / KLONIE JORDAN) More....Video





Authorities Investigate Friday Afternoon Blaze

November Headlines

Vehicle Fire

Friday Wreck

Apartment Fire

October News Headlines

 

LET THE FLAMES BEGIN 

Friday Fire

Ready-Aim-Squirt!