ABBEVILLE — A structure fire broke out late Tuesday evening at a blighted property on the corner of 8th St. and St. Charles St. in Abbeville.
“Late Tuesday evening, we responded to a structure fire on the corner of 8th and St. Charles property,” Abbeville Fire Department's Assistant Fire Chief Patrick Ashley said.
Although the property was found unoccupied, fire officials believe someone must have started the fire.
“Someone was reported to be staying in there from time to time, a homeless person, but was not. We did not find anyone in the house,” Ashley said.
“However, there was no electricity or utilities on to the structure at the time, so someone in the house would have done something to start the fire,” Ashley added.
The fire did not extend to other homes, but the risk of fires spreading to nearby houses is high.
“We often see a fire extend from the structure of orgin to neighboring exposures. In this case, there were not very close to this structure, but it’s quite often, more and more houses are built within 10 ft. of each other and very likely in that situation it would have extended,” Ashley said.
For those who have properties that are not always occupied, there are ways to help prevent a fire from starting.
“The most important thing you can do would be to secure the property. Make sure that the locks are secure, board up the windows. Just regular presence, a presence everyday where someone sees the owner in and out of the property is a great deterrent,” Ashley said.
The cause of the fire is still unknown.
