Burton Fire District sees alarming 2025 trend dip into 2026

BEAUFORT COUNTY, S.C. (WTOC) - The Burton Fire District is sounding the alarm.

They’re urging people to ensure their homes are prepared for the worst, following three fires that have already forced families out of their homes this year.

In 2025, the Burton Fire District saw a decrease in the number of fires it responded to in its coverage area.

In the fires, they are starting to see more fires start in mobile homes than in single-family homes.

That trend has continued into this year.

Out of the three major fires in the Burton area, two of them were at mobile homes and the other was at an older home.

In all three, there were no smoke alarms.

“That’s kind of an alarming number that mobile home fires are high and smoke alarm numbers are low,” Burton Assistant Fire Chief Dan Byrne said.

According to South Carolina state law, landlords are required provide and maintain working smoke alarms in rental properties when someone first moves in.

Then the tenant oversees keeping it in working order.

A device that can save you when you need it most, but one that needs to be there and be less than 10 years old.

“A working smoke alarm and a fire extinguisher are probably the cheapest insurance policy you can have to limit damages in your home,” Byrne said.

Cooking fires are still the leading cause of fires in Burton, but that is followed by electrical malfunctions.

In mobile home fires, electrical malfunction is the leading cause in the Burton area.

Whether that be a short in the home’s wiring, a glitch in a power strip, or even a problem with an electric heater.

But Assistant Fire Chief Dan Byrne says there is something you can do to try to limit the damage if a fire does start.

If you need a smoke alarm or think that your smoke alarm is older than ten years, you are asked to contact your local fire department.

“Fires in mobile homes can go very fast, but a bedroom door will save the home, save the fire from spreading.”

UPTICK IN 911 CALLS:

Every year since 2020, the Burton Fire District has continued to see an uptick in the number of calls to service.

OVer 65% of the EMS calls to service were medical calls.

They say this is likely due to the population increase the county has seen over that time.

The department says it’s watching that number to make sure that it always has a crew available to respond if the need arises.

They are also looking at adding more Advanced Emergency Medical Technicians to their staff to help with medical calls or start treatment before an ambulance arrives.

MORE INJURIES, LESS CRASHES:

In 2025, the Burton Fire District saw fewer motor vehicle crashes.

However, they had more people get injured in the crashes, and more people had to be saved from entrapped vehicles.