Goose Creek Home Destroyed in Wednesday Fire

Goose Creek firefighters beat back a house fire Wednesday afternoon that destroyed one home and damaged the house next door.

The city's fire department answered the call at 119 Ryan Drive just before 1 p.m. to find the home engulfed in flames, said Chief Steve Chapman.

The incident was likely caused by the homeowner emptying his ash tray into a large trash can in the garage. It was 15 minutes after dumping the ashes that the fire alarms in the home started going off.

The homeowner opened the door to the garage and saw heavy smoke. He called for help and got out of the home.

There were no injuries, but the home was destroyed. The chief said a neighbor also suffered damage to their boat that was sitting between the two homes and damage to the vinyl siding on that side of the house. 

Chapman said that spent cigarette ashes should be disposed of properly in wet sand or in a fire proof container and not disposed of with any flammable materials.