Public Safety battles blaze at old Aiken County hospital

Aiken Standard (SC)

Jul. 31—The Aiken Department of Public Safety and other fire departments on Saturday battled a blaze at the old Aiken County hospital complex amid scorching temperatures that threatened heat exhaustion, or worse.

Public Safety Chief Charles Barranco said the fire was contained to the ground floor of the derelict building, a ways in from any entrances. Firefighters initially had to bust windows and smash doors to get inside as black smoke billowed out.

No one was injured in the fire, officials said. The Aiken County Sheriff's Office helped secure the scene, 828 Richland Ave. W., and directed traffic away from it.

The extent of the damage to the building was not immediately clear Saturday afternoon. An arson team was requested to help with the investigation; more information is expected by Monday, Barranco suggested.

The old hospital property is owned by Aiken County and is currently under contract to sell. Aiken County Council Chairman Gary Bunker on Saturday said the due diligence period is about halfway finished. The fire could complicate the sale as well as any investment or redevelopment there.

Aiken Mayor Rick Osbon commended Public Safety and the other departments that responded to the fire for their speed and prowess. Barranco similarly said quick thinking and expertise prevented a far-worse outcome — a conflagration or collapse, for example.

The vacated hospital is decades old and is considered by many to be a historic landmark. At one point, it served as an Aiken County government building.