A 28-year-old died in a house fire near Loris Wednesday night, making that the third fire related fatality in Horry County this year and the 38th in the state.
One of the fires happened near Conway, the other two in the Loris area.
Volunteers with Loris Fire say they are always in need of more volunteers. Chief Jerry Hardee says he remembers how his fascination with the fire department sparked at a young age.
“I started chasing fire trucks when I was 12 or 13 years old, just trying to stay out of the way and when I was old enough to become a member, I applied,” said Chief Hardee.
A volunteer for 45 years, Hardee says it’s common to know the fire victims in one way or another. He says he has a connection to the family of the 28-year-old that died Tuesday.
“I’ve known that Hardee family all my life, went to school with some of the children. I didn’t know this man personally but I knew the family,” said Hardee
“It has been busy, we know the month of June was probably our busiest month in the last couple of years,” said Fire Marshal, Robert Rudelitch. “We always tell people, plan for two ways out, have a smoke detector.”
To learn more about fire safety and where to access smoke detectors: click here.
