Deadly house fire may have been caused by fireworks, South Carolina sheriff says
A deadly fire at a South Carolina home over the Fourth of July holiday weekend might have been caused by discarded fireworks reigniting, according to the Spartanburg County Sheriff’s Office.
On Sunday, members of the sheriff’s office arson unit responded to a fatal residential fire at a home in the 300 block of Country Estates Road, the sheriff’s office said Monday in a news release. That’s in a part of Woodruff between I-26 and U.S. 221.
The Trinity Fire Department asked the sheriff’s office to join the investigation, which officials said is standard procedure when investigating the origin and cause of any fire involving a death, according to the release.
The Spartanburg County Coroner’s Office identified 61-year-old Laura Pillion as the person who died in the early morning fire, WHNS reported.
No other injuries were reported.
Surviving occupants of the home told deputies that fireworks had been discharged earlier in the evening July 4, the sheriff’s office said in the release. The spent fireworks, and related debris, were then discarded in a plastic trash container located near the home’s wooden porch, the sheriff’s office said.
Based on the physical evidence and investigative findings, the fire originated in the area of the porch, according to the release.
Sheriff’s office investigators said that they cannot rule out the possibility that residual heat from the discarded fireworks or associated cardboard packaging rekindled and ignited the fire.
In an online fundraising campaign, a relative said the home was “completely destroyed,” and that the family staying there “have lost everything.”
There were no signs of foul play, or evidence that the fire was intentionally set, and the investigation has concluded, according to the release.
Another SC death related to fireworks
This could be at least the second fireworks-related death in South Carolina Upstate from the holiday weekend.
Brock K. Jackson, a 20-year-old Aiken resident, died at about 10:45 p.m. Saturday night in hospital’s emergency room after a fireworks explosion, Oconee County Coroner Karl Addis said.
A family annually shoots off fireworks from the dock of their home as part of the July 4 celebration, according to Addis. On Saturday night they were shooting fireworks when other fireworks caught fire and detonated early, causing multiple people on the dock to jump into the lake to escape the explosion, Addis said.
Jackson was found face down in the lake within the boat slip of the dock, according to Addis. It’s possible the victim was thrown by the explosion into a boat lift in the slip, Addis said.
He was pulled from the lake back onto the dock where Jackson went into cardiac arrest, according to Addis.
An autopsy is scheduled and should show if Jackson died of blunt force trauma from impact with a boat lift or direct injuries from the fireworks, Addis said.
Safely disposing of fireworks
- Fireworks can retain heat long after they appear to be extinguished
- Spent fireworks should be thoroughly soaked in water before disposal
- Spent fireworks should never be placed in or near combustible materials or structures until they have completely cooled
SOURCE: Spartanburg County Sheriff’s Office
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This story was originally published July 6, 2026 at 12:53 PM with the headline "Deadly house fire may have been caused by fireworks, South Carolina sheriff says."
