A Five Points house on the corner of Pendleton and Pine Street was destroyed in a fire around 6:45 p.m. on Sunday, April 9.
There have been no reports of injured persons.
Mike DeSumma, the public information officer for the Columbia-Richland Fire Department, said the cause for the fire is still under investigation. The house did not have power at the time of the fire and was reported vacant.
“The fire caused a lot of damages — it ripped through the building,” DeSumma said. “We had to back our crews out at a certain point just because of the deteriorating conditions inside.”
Food Lion Security Officer Michael Gibson was sitting at his post at the front of the store when the fire broke out. He said one of the Food Lion employees made a call to the fire department when they spotted the flames, and firetrucks were on the scene in 10 minutes.
The firefighters had the fire under control within 20 minutes of their arrival and protected the areas surrounding the fire, according to DeSumma.
Editor's note: This is a developing story. Check back for more updates.