Richland County, SC (WLTX) - A fire has destroyed one home and damaged three others in Northeast Richland County.
The fire took place just before 6 p.m. on Ivy Square Drive. That street is in an area between Farrow Road and Longtown Road in Northeast Richland County.
No one was injured.
Interim Columbia Fire Chief Aubrey Jenkins says the call came in as a grass fire, but when crews arrived, they discovered it was a home engulfed in flames. Jenkins says crews could actually see the smoke from the fire station.
"I heard a knock at the door and I came out and a little boy was across the street. I think he said, 'There's a fire!' and I saw ash flying through the air," explains resident Susanne Hyman.
She's lived here for five years, after moving from West Palm Beach with her husband. "The house next door was just engulfed in flames; so I just grabbed my keys, got in my car and pulled in the spot next door," she says.
Outside, Susanne was safe - and got the chance to save something else. "My husband's ashes. He passed away in January," she says, through tears, "I just got those, just so they wouldn't be in the house."
Although it was a neighborhood kid who knocked her door to get her out, she knows who's hand was guiding the warning. "I think he was watching out for me. I really do," she says.
Despite all of the loss she's experienced and the uncertainty of what's next for her home, Susanne sees what's ahead. She explains, smiling at the end, "It's been a tough year so far, but things will get better."
Four people were displaced, and Red Cross is helping find places for them to stay.
A cause of the fire has not been determined. Damage estimates are around $310,000.