Lightning destroys Florence church

By Jamie Rogers
Morning News Reporter
Published: July 10, 2008

Heavy downpours and lightning strikes from a storm that moved across the Pee Dee on Thursday caused vehicle crashes and fire damage to several structures in the area.

Firefighters responded to at least three structure fires in Florence County, including one at Dawsey United Methodist Church off Pamplico Highway, said Kristy Suggs, Florence County Emergency Management Natural Hazards coordinator.

Firefighters from Howe Springs Fire Department responded to the church shortly before 5:30 p.m. and found smoke billowing from the building, Howe Spring Capt. Ric Collins said.

About 25 firefighters and six fire trucks were on the scene to fight the blaze, he said.

“We had extreme weather and it had an effect on firefighters’ efforts,” Collins said.

Firefighters created a vertical ventilation hole in the roof of the church in an attempt to control the blaze, but to no avail, he said.

“We cut a hole in the room to relieve pressure and smoke ... but the roof began to collapse,” Collins said.

It took about an hour and 30 minutes to control the blaze, which ultimately destroyed the church.

While responding to the Dawsey church fire, Howe Springs firefighters also were dispatched to several vehicle crashes and other fires that started as a result of lightning, he said.

Olanta and Hannah-Salem-Friendfield fire departments were called to assist Howe Springs in covering its 180 square-mile response area, Collins said.

Florence County central dispatch reported a lightning strike could have set a small shed on Chandler Circle ablaze, Suggs said. A barn on John Paul Jones Road in Timmonsville also caught fire after being struck by lighting, Suggs said.

Showers and thunderstorms first developed along boundaries from storms that passed through the area Wednesday night, according to WBTW News13. As a result, as much as 5 inches of rain fell on Effingham on Wednesday afternoon, according to WBTW Doppler radar. Residents in neighborhoods west of Interstate 95 also saw as much as 5 inches of rain.

Radar readings show most of Florence received about 2 inches of rain.