Smythe Street home destroyed by fire on July 4

A small lone fire extinguisher was positioned upright on the sidewalk on Sunday morning, July 5. It seemed especially useless as it sat against the backdrop of a Daniel Island Smythe Park home that was engulfed by flames the evening prior.

The Abbate family home was destroyed by fire on the evening of July 4. None of the eight people at home at the time of the outbreak were injured, but the structural devastation was significant.

According to the city of Charleston Fire Department, the fire and CFD’s response unfolded as described below.

The Charleston County Dispatch Center received multiple 911 calls at 11:30 p.m. on July 4, followed by an automatic fire alarm from an alarm monitoring company, reporting a structure fire on Smythe Street on Daniel Island.

Emergency personal arrived in less than six minutes from the time of dispatch and encountered a three-story, elevated home with significant fire venting from multiple floors across the front of the house.

Firefighters quickly entered the building and attacked the fire from multiple levels while attempting to search the home. Information was provided and verified that the occupants of the home had escaped through the rear of the house and safely evacuated.

Firefighters continued to battle the fire for nearly 45 minutes before transitioning to a defensive attack, removing all the crews from interior operations, due to the continued weakening of the structure and concerns for firefighter safety.

Elevated streams were then deployed from the ladder truck, in addition to exterior hose lines from the ground, for an additional hour before the bulk of the fire was declared under control.

Crews remained on the scene through the morning and into the afternoon addressing hot spots throughout the 4,000 square foot home.

Members from the Fire Marshal Division responded to review the origin, cause, and circumstances leading up to the event. Investigators were able to verify the fire originated on the ground level of the home, within a storage area attached to the garage. The specific cause remains under investigation. The four occupants of the home and their four guests were able to escape the home without any reported injuries.

Charleston and North Charleston Fire Departments, Berkeley County EMS, and Charleston PD were also dispatched to the scene.

The Red Cross responded to provide assistance. Additionally, friends from Daniel Island School collected donations from the community of new and gently used clothing and toys to meet the needs of the family in the short term. No additional items are being collected at this time.

For those who would still like to show their support, make a donation to a GoFundMe account set up in there name.