Official: Improperly discarded fireworks sparked Rock Hill house fire

A fire that caused extensive damage to a Rock Hill home early Tuesday was caused by improperly discarded fireworks, a fire official said.

The blaze happened at a home on Dayton Road just before 1 a.m. Tuesday, said Deputy Chief Mark Simmons of the Rock Hill Fire Department. Fire crews responded and found “extensive” damage to the home.

There were no injuries, but five occupants were displaced and are being assisted by the American Red Cross, Simmons said.

Investigators determined the fire was accidental, Simmons said, caused by fireworks that apparently had been thrown into a trash can next to the home.

“The house sustained extensive fire and water damage,” Simmons said, “so it could be a total loss.”

The blaze caused some minor damage to the vinyl siding on an adjacent home.

Simmons said fireworks-related damage to homes is not uncommon.

“Some years you get some and other years you don’t get any damage to buildings,” he said.

The fire department responded to another fireworks-related fire at a Rock Hill home over the weekend. Simmons said some fireworks landed in a flower bed and started a small fire Saturday night.

This story was originally published July 5, 2016 at 10:13 AM with the headline "Official: Improperly discarded fireworks sparked Rock Hill house fire."