Fire reported at Taco Bell in Socastee

Horry County firefighters battled a fire Thursday afternoon at the Taco Bell in Socastee off S.C. 707.

A call came in around 12:30 p.m. after employees were informed that a fire was on the outside of the east side of the building, according to Jim Walker, battalion chief with Horry County Fire Rescue.

Crews cleared the scene after a few hours but did not have a cause for the fire as of 4 p.m., according to Battalion Chief Brian VanAernem.

VanAernem said the fire started on the outside of the building and got into the restaurant’s wall.

Traffic on S.C. 707 was down to one lane to accommodate emergency personnel.

Socastee High School and Socastee Elementary School exits were cleared by 3:30 p.m. but some in-bound traffic was rerouted for a bit, according to Teal Harding, Horry County Schools spokeswoman.

This story was originally published August 20, 2015 at 1:43 PM with the headline "Fire reported at Taco Bell in Socastee."