We try to provide general information about incidents on this page.  Due to personal privacy and other legal issues, we will of course be limited in the amount and depth of information which we can release.  If you click the thumbnails, you will get a higher quality photo.

 Fair Play Fire Department responded to assist Double Springs at woods fire in area of Durham Road / Fair Play Heights Circle on 8/15/08.  On arrival found ¼ acre woods and heavy undergrowth involved.  Extinguished fire with water and then used portable foam unit to penetrate fire debris.  Made fire line around area which was enlarged by SC Forestry when they arrived.   Fortunately fire area was not larger due to high heat. 

 

At 5:58 a.m. on 8/2/08 we were dispatched along with Oconee EMS and Oakway Rescue to a motor vehicle accident involving 3 passenger vehicles.  The wreck occurred on I-85 southbound near Hwy. 11, Exit 1.  Two minor injuries did not require transport.  Initially both south bound lanes were closed to allow emergency responders to assess the passengers and vehicles.  One lane was reopened after a short period of time and fortunately light traffic at that hour did not lead to a major backup. The cars were removed by wrecker at about 7:30.  SCHP is investigating.

 

On July 29 FPFD responded to the report of a motor home that had gone off the road into the woods on Herring Road.   The driver of the motor home reported that he was forced off the road by another vehicle that did not stop.   To avoid a head-on collision, he chose to drive into the woods.    Damage was minor except for the broken windshield (you can see the impression of the large tree that stopped the vehicle's forward motion) and some cracks in the fiberglass body.   The two occupants were transported to OMC where they were checked out and later released.   Deputy Chief Mike Bear drove the motor home from the site of the accident to Carolina Landing where the couple was staying.   Steven & Teri Zahn took temporary custody of the couple's dog and two cats until they were released from the hospital.

 

Fair Play Fire Department responded to an Interstate wreck involving two 18 Wheelers.  At 1:15 on Thursday morning, two tractor-trailers were traveling northbound on I-85 between Exit 1 and 2 when they collided.  One ended up tangled in the median wire which kept it from going on to the southbound side.  It had severe front end damage and also dropped one of its saddle tanks into the middle of the interstate. The other truck was able to safely pull to the side of the road out of the traffic lanes.  No injuries were reported and the South Carolina Highway Patrol is investigating the incident.  One northbound lane was blocked for three hours but due to light traffic that time of morning, no back-up occurred .

 

Fair Play Fire Department along with OMC EMS and Rescue 3 were dispatched to the report of two separate wrecks that occurred at essentially the same time on Sunday, July 13.  Both were on the I-85 bridge at the state line on the southbound side; one in the inside lane and the other in the outside lane about 50 feet apart.  The first wreck happened when one pick-up pulling a trailer ran into the back of a trailer being pulled by another pick-up.  The second wreck occurred when a Toyota stopped suddenly, due to the traffic slow down, and was rear-ended by a tractor-trailer.  Southbound traffic was backed up several miles on the Interstate. No occupants from either wreck were transported. Georgia units from Shoal Creek Fire Department and Hart County Fire and EMS also responded.  SCHP is investigating.

 

On 7/13/08 Fair Play Fire Department responded to a vehicle fire on northbound I-85 between exits 1 and 2.  On arrival found vehicle that had small fire in engine compartment.  A passing trucker had knocked fire down, saving the vehicle, prior to VFD arrival.  VFD determined that fire likely started in, or around, the transmission.  A small amount of water with foam concentrate was used to extinguish fire in insulating material in engine compartment.  Occupants were transported by volunteer in personal vehicle to "safe haven" at the truck stop at exit 4.

 

Fair Play VFD, Oakway Rescue Squad and OMC EMS were dispatched to a rollover on southbound I-85 at the 1.5 mm.   This wreck occurred on Wednesday, July 13, at 5:54 p.m. and involved an Avalanche towing a camper trailer.  The two occupants in the truck refused medical care.   Southbound traffic was backed up for a few miles with lanes blocked for some time.   SCHP is investigating.   Seat belts and air bags were credited with preventing serious injury.

 

 

On 7/8/08, Fair Play VFD and Oakway VFD responded to assist Crossroads VFD at a structure fire on Pine Grove Road.  Engine 8 was first apparatus on scene and initiated attack.  Actions and strategy were directed by Crossroads Incident Commander at this abandoned home that was being used for storage.  Structure was considered a total loss and investigation revealed that the likely cause was a lightening strike during a storm that had just passed through the area.  Unusual hazards were encountered during this call.  A power line fell on an attack line which had to be abandoned in place for safety reasons and an oxyacetylene torch was involved in the flames.  The explosive bottles were removed prior to rupturing which would certainly have injured firefighters severely.

 

 

This brush fire on Durham Road was quickly extinguished using both old fashioned methods (photo on left) and more technologically advanced methods (photo on right).   The July 3rd fire did not threaten any structures.

 

 

 

Between May 26 and June 12 we responded to three car fires.   The first, on May 26, was in Parkview East (photo on left).   We were glad we didn't have to get down one of the steep driveways to fight this one.   The next fire, on June 6, was on I-85 just south of the Durham Road overpass (center photo).   This fire started a brush/woods fire that we also attacked.   The steep grade and hot day made for tough conditions for the firefighters and two of our firefighters were treated for heat stress.   Mutual aid was requested from Townville FD.  The final car fire (photo on right) was on Highway 59 on June 12.   The car owner noticed smoke coming from under the hood and pulled off the road.    After attacking the fire with water, we used our new portable foam unit to douse the remaining stubborn flames under the hood.  

 

Fair Play Fire Department was dispatched to assist with a structure fire at 321 Smith Dairy Road. At 12:20 PM on Tuesday, April 8th units from Fair Play, South Union and Oakway Fire Departments found a large (20'x40') out building fully involved in fire. Three engines and three tankers used more than 8000 gallons of water and foam to extinguish this fire. Prior to the fire, the homeowner had been burning debris in a pit near the out building. Normally used for storage, the out building was relatively empty at the time of the fire. A neighbor’s barn was nearby but firefighters kept the fire from spreading.  SEE PICTURES BELOW.