By MES Dispatch Staff
The Briefing
- The Irmo Fire District led a multi-agency response to a two-alarm apartment fire in the 5300 block of Bush River Road in Lexington County, S.C., Monday, June 15, 2026, with assistance from the Columbia, Lexington County, and West Columbia fire departments.
- Of eight units in the apartment building, four were destroyed by fire, two sustained heavy damage, and two suffered water damage, displacing 23 residents; one person was transported to a hospital with minor injuries, and no firefighters were hurt.
- While the apartment fire was being fought, Lexington County Fire Service crews simultaneously responded to a serious two-vehicle rollover crash approximately two miles away at St Andrews Road and Murraywood Drive, where one driver was trapped and extricated.
- The trapped driver sustained moderate, non-life-threatening injuries after crews removed the vehicle’s roof to complete the extrication; two lanes of St Andrews Road were blocked during the response.
- Irmo Fire District officials credited the region’s mutual aid system for ensuring adequate resources were available across jurisdictional lines during the simultaneous incidents; the cause of the apartment fire remains under investigation.
LEXINGTON COUNTY, S.C. — Fire departments across South Carolina’s Midlands region worked together Monday to respond to a two-alarm apartment fire and a serious vehicle crash with entrapment occurring simultaneously roughly two miles apart, according to the Irmo Fire District.
Multiple fire crews, led by the Irmo Fire District, responded to a fire in an apartment building in the 5300 block of Bush River Road, located in a section of Columbia between St Andrews Road and Saluda Shoals Park. According to a district news release, the fire was well established and burning through the attic by the time crews arrived. Based on multiple reports of people trapped inside, crews mounted an aggressive search, but officials reported that no victims were located inside the structure. The fire was brought under control with assistance from the Columbia, Lexington County, and West Columbia fire departments.
Of the eight total apartment units in the building, four were destroyed by the fire, two sustained heavy damage, and the remaining two suffered water damage, leaving 23 residents displaced. One person was transported to an area hospital with minor injuries; no firefighters were injured during the response. Crews remained on scene into the afternoon to extinguish remaining hot spots. The cause of the fire remains under investigation, and officials did not indicate whether foul play is suspected.
While Irmo Fire District crews were actively fighting the apartment fire, members of the Lexington County Fire Service responded to a serious crash approximately two miles away at the intersection of St Andrews Road and Murraywood Drive. Two vehicles collided at the intersection, and one overturned, trapping the injured driver inside. Crews removed the roof of the vehicle to complete the extrication; the driver’s injuries were described as moderate but not life-threatening. Two lanes of St Andrews Road were blocked during the response, and officials advised motorists to expect delays in the area.
Irmo Fire District officials credited the region’s established mutual aid framework for ensuring adequate resources remained available across jurisdictional boundaries during the concurrent incidents. “Whenever there is a major incident in the Midlands, the fire departments across the region work together to make sure that resources are available and emergency calls are always answered, regardless of jurisdiction,” the district said in its release. “Today was a great example of how our system works.”