For the 4th time this year, fires hit camps, abandoned structures. Two injured in latest

Two people were hospitalized this morning after waking up in a burning tent.

Tuesday morning at approximately 8:30 a.m. the Burton Fire District responded to a call about black smoke that was originally believed to be a brush fire, according to Daniel Byrne, spokesperson for the fire district. After arriving on the scene, firefighters found a burning tent in what appeared to be a homeless encampment off of Parris Island Gateway by the Cross Creek Shopping Plaza.

An unnamed 37-year-old man and 43-year-old woman woke up to their burning tent and suffered “potentially serious burns,” Byrne said. The opening to the tent was on fire and the woman burned herself trying to leave the tent, according to Maj. Angela Viens of the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office.

The woman was taken by air to the Medical University of South Carolina and the man was taken by ambulance.

The fire is currently under investigation. It was determined that no accelerates were present at the scene. It’s unclear what caused the fire, Byrne said.

The Burton Fire District has started monitoring fires at encampments and abandoned structures after noticing a slight increase in those sorts of fires. There was previously a fire at the location of Tuesday’s fire that was started by a heater, Viens said.

A series of fires in an abandoned structure in Grays Hill, on Deepwood Lane, while not causing any injuries left the structure with significant damages.

This is the fourth fire like this since the beginning of the year, Byrne said.

This story will be updated as more information becomes available.