A former horse barn used for storage in Little River was destroyed by fire Thursday morning, along with three mobile homes and several vehicles, according to authorities.
Horry County fire investigators are searching for clues as to what caused a large barn at Econo Storage to catch fire, said Leslie Yancey, Horry County Fire Rescue public information officer.
Firefighters were called at 6:26 a.m. Thursday to 469 Sandridge Road in Little River, Yancey said. Whenfirefighters arrived they found heavy smoke and flames coming from the barn.
Two nearby homes were evacuated because of their proximity to the barn as a safety precaution, Yancey said.
The fire destroyed three recreational vehicles and damaged three trailers, Yancey said.
The fire was under control just before 8 a.m.
Some diesel and propane tanks were stored in the barn that may have fueled the fire, said Don Kelley Jr., who owns the 14-acre property with family.
The barn was initially used for horse training beforebeing turned into a storage facility, he said.
"We got into the storage business and out of the raising horse business," Kelley said Thursday.
Two people lived in single-wide mobile homes next to the barn and their homes were destroyed, he said.
One of the people will be relocated to another trailer on the property, but Kelley said he isn't sure where the other person will live.
A mobile home that was being stored on the property also was damaged along with an RV belonging to Kelley's father, Don Kelley Sr., he said.
A tractor, golf cart and work truck along with various other items like his mother's Christmas decorations were lost in the fire, Kelley said.
"There was nothing really in the barn anymore. Mostly it was just a shelter," he said. "I was standing about 100 feet away from the barn and it almost singed the hair on my arms."
Kelley lived in one of the mobile homes on the property until 1996 because he wanted to be close to his horses before it was turned into a storage facility, he said.
"The memories of the horses in the barns has got me," Kelley said of watching the barn burn.
"There's a lot of memories went over me."
Kelley's father also had a small office in the barn, which the elder man used to operate Don's Pancake House, he said.
"I'm not sure what his plans are," Kelley said." I'm not sure why he works as hard as he does anyway.
"This may be what he needed to kick him into retirement. We're lucky no one got hurt."
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Little River Storage Facility Fire
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