‘Close before you doze’ initiative helped contain a Bluffton apartment fire to one unit

Quick action by a resident of a Bluffton apartment unit may have prevented a fire from spreading across multiple units or possibly, the entire complex. The simple act of closing interior doors contributed to containing the flames to within her bedroom.

The Bluffton Township Fire Department responded to a report of a fire at the Emerson Isles Apartments, on Simmonsville Road, around 7 p.m. Wednesday. Arriving in about four minutes, fire crews were able to put out the blaze before it spread to any other units, fire district spokesperson Stephen Combs said.

The fire started in the area of the tenant’s bedroom or walk-in closet but was contained in those two rooms because the resident closed the door to her bedroom before evacuating the apartment.

The closing of the bedroom door stopped the fire from growing by limiting airflow into the room and increasing smoke buildup, starving the fire of oxygen. Research found that open-door fires can burn up to 10 times hotter than closed-door fires, with the latter reaching up to 1,000 degrees, Combs said. The research is part of a nationwide initiative titled “close before you doze” which encourages people to close interior doors before going to bed to reduce the spread of flames in overnight fires.

Had the door been left open it is likely the fire would have spread through the unit. Modern homes and apartments tend to burn quickly because of the type of materials used to build them, according to Combs.

As of Thursday evening, the fire is still under investigation.

Residents from three other apartments were evacuated because smoke traveled into their apartments, but were able to return later that evening. No one was injured by the fire.