Tonight, we find ourselves humbly appreciative to be part of this community. We are so thankful for the efforts of our staff, our community volunteers, and the emergency response units from Mount Pleasant, the Isle of Palms, Sullivan’s island, and other fire departments nearby. In the end, two houses burned on the island. We are deeply sympathetic to the island families who lost their homes tonight as they grapple with all of this. As of this writing at 1:00am, the fire appears to be contained with the damage mostly restricted to those two homesites, one of which was under construction. We know that the damage could have spread further; it was a windy night and it has been a very dry spring… but the quick, focused cooperation of everyone we saw apparently kept things under control. I don’t know everything that happened behind the scenes… but I will share our experiences. Please comment with corrections and additions.

We got a call about 9:15 that there was a fire on the island; by that point the incredible network of community volunteers had been activated. We arrived at the ferry dock just after 10, where we encountered several staff members who had been called in, and several other homeowners and volunteers. The ferry had already left, so we boarded our boat and headed over to the island. The blaze, located along the front beach in the middle of the island, was visible from the waterway, with flames and plumes from the firefighters shooting up into the night. Some of the volunteers had even seen the fire from the IOP connector.

When we arrived at the Dewees dock, we were struck by the amount of preparation that had obviously been undertaken. There were lights on in a row of golf carts, Mary was manning the dock and helping us find a space, fire and rescue boats were everywhere, and everyone was calm and focused. Anne had called to activate island volunteers and be sure that all of the people on the island were aware of each other and jobs that could be done. When we learned that drinking water was needed, Betty called Pete, who drove all over Mount Pleasant to get some to send on the ferry. Captain Rick was a source of information for many a caller tonight.

The blaze was no longer visible from the front dock, but as we passed Huyler House pond we could see the lights from the scene and firefighters. We shared some water and drinks with them, and had a chance to see what was left of those homes… mostly pilings and embers. Volunteers were mostly waiting quietly at the edges and watching. Ginny told us a story of a group of young men that were on a boat in the inlet who came to help as volunteers; they had called 911 and then arrived to help.

Undoubtedly, there will be future stories about this, and for the next few days, island residents are asked to be cautious with water use so we can build up our emergency reserves. (Incidentally, as I understand it, someone made the wise decision to bypass our treatment facility and pump the firefighting water directly from the well, which probably helped the situation.) Surely, we can all help conserve water while we replenish the supply.

We can’t even begin to send out all of our thanks to everyone involved: it was one of those clear moments where we understand the deep connections we have with neighbors and friends; and how everyone pulls together in a crisis. Thanks to you all.