Insurance inspectors looked over the twisted metal and collapsed rooftops of three houses on Bonito Drive on Fripp Island. The smell of the fire still hung in the air as ashes blew around the nearby Ocean Creek Golf Course. Scores of plastic water bottles littered the scene, left behind by firefighters from four area departments who baked in the extreme Lowcountry summer heat as they fought the intense flames threatening to leap to adjacent houses.
This was Monday’s aftermath of a deadly, intense blaze over the weekend on Fripp Island, which swept across a row of houses in the beachfront community on a blistering hot day, claiming one man’s life and three structures.
At the scene Monday, Christian Gonzales, head of the island’s security, called the fire “terrible for the Fripp Island community” but referred questions to the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division.
SLED officials would not comment on their investigation, where they are hoping to answer the question: How did this tragedy happen?
The fire was reported at 718 Bonito Drive at 10:16 a.m. Saturday. Fire Chief Josh Horton said Monday that fire units were on the scene within minutes but found the home fully engulfed in flames with two adjacent residences “heavily threatened.” Those properties also were destroyed.
The cause remains under investigation, Horton said.
“Reports initially indicated that one individual was unaccounted for from the primary residence,” Horton said. “Despite exhaustive efforts to locate the person outside the structure, fire personnel ultimately discovered a victim within the debris.”
The Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office said previously that the body of a 59-year-old man was found in the rubble, along with a dog.
On Monday, the Beaufort County Cornoner’s office said it still was in the process of positively identifying the man, which could take a few days.
Due to the intensity of the fire and extreme seasonal heat, Fripp called for help from Lady’s Island-St. Helena, Beaufort-Port Royal and Burton fire departments. Fire officials remained on the scene for more than 14 hours and were joined by Beaufort County EMS, Fripp Island Public Service District and Fripp Island Resort.
Residents of Fripp also provided food, drinks, ice and support throughout the response, which occurred in temperatures that reached almost 90 degrees, Horton noted.
According to reports from those who were in the vicinity, two explosions were heard, possibly from a propane tank or a vehicle parked in the garage. The houses that were involved are two stories on top of main level garages.
A special agent with SLED’s Arson Investigations Unit is working the case.
Located 18 miles east of Beaufort, the 3,000-acre barrier island with 3.5 miles of Atlantic Ocean beachfront is a private, gated residential and resort community with trails, golf courses and tennis courts.
The homes there are a mix of owner-occupied houses and short-term rentals that attract thousands of vacationers each year.
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