Quick action by Beaufort-Port Royal firefighters saved two homes threatened by a garage fireMonday afternoon that was so hot it partially melted a boat.

A resident of the property in the 1700 block of Aster Street was treated by Beaufort County EMS for burns to his hand suffered when a refrigerator in the garage caught fire.

At 3:30 p.m. Monday, Beaufort-Port Royal firefighters responded to a call to Aster Street in the Waddell Gardens neighborhood of Beaufort.  Firefighters arrived to find a garage engulfed by fire. The home in front of the garage and a neighboring house were in danger of catching fire.

“The fire was so hot it had already partially melted a boat and two cars and had ignited all the nearby trees,” Beaufort Fire Chief Sammy Negron said. “Without quick actions, we could have seen serious property damage in the neighborhood.”

The first arriving fire crews quickly sprayed water on the two homes, while other fire crews and Beaufort police began searching for the occupant.  Firefighters pushed the fire away from the homes in seconds, leaving only minor damage.

Rescuers found the home’s occupant in the back yard and moved him to safety. After those critical issues were addressed, firefighters gained control of the garage fire in about six minutes, Negron said.

Beaufort/Port Royal firefighters continued to extinguish hot spots for the next two hours and were assisted by firefighters from the Burton Fire District. No emergency responders were injured during this incident.