Lake Robinson Rescue Squad Haunted House destroyed in blaze

Arson investigators from the State Law Enforcement Division have joined the investigation into the fire that destroyed the Lake Robinson Rescue Squad Haunted House.

The Darlington County Sheriff’s Office called in SLED to assist in the investigation, Capt. Andy Locklair of the sheriff’s office said Tuesday. Investigators have not determined the cause of the blaze that burned the house to the ground late Sunday night. They have not ruled it arson, nor have they ruled arson out, authorities said.

“This is not an arson investigation as of today,” Sheriff Wayne Byrd said Tuesday. “The fire is still undetermined.”

Lake Robinson Rescue Squad Capt. Jason Cooke said Monday his squad will still hold some sort of Halloween activity this year to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the haunted house despite the devastating fire.

“We’re going to try our best to put something on. We may do a longer haunted trail or something like that,” said Capt. Jason Cooke. “We’re going to do something because it is the 30th anniversary.”

Rescue squad members were scheduled to meet Tuesday night to make a decision on whether to rebuild the house and on what type of event to hold for Halloween this year, Cooke said. He said he believes the squad will vote to rebuild.

“It’s just very heart wrenching,” Cooke said. He said the mood among members of the 42-year-old rescue squad Monday was somber.

“People have been calling me. I’ve talked to some of the founding members, and they’re just heartbroken,” he said. “Some people have called me crying.”

News of the blaze spread quickly among the squad’s members Sunday night, Cooke said.
Cooke said he was returning from a call to Carolina Pines Regional Medical Center Sunday night when he heard Darlington County Station 8 in Pine Ridge dispatched to a report of a woods fire.

“I said, ‘Well, I’ll just go on and see what they’ve got,’” he said. As he rounded a curve approaching the scene, he said he saw flames shooting above the tops of the pine trees. “I said, ‘Oh my God, it’s the house,’” he said.

Darlington County fire and law enforcement officials are treating the fire as suspicious.
The fire was reported at about 11:30 p.m. by an anonymous call to 911, according to investigators.

Firefighters arrived on the scene to find the house burned to the ground, Locklair said.

“Anytime you have a fire, it’s suspect until you determine the cause,” Locklair said. “It’s suspicious because right now we don’t know the cause or the origin.”

“We are investigating the fire and are trying to determine how and where the fire started,” said Darlington County Fire District Chief David Williamson. “There is not much to work with.”

“This is a tragic loss for the Pine Ridge Community and the thousands of people that come every year,” said Sheriff Wayne Byrd.

Cooke said he hopes investigators are able to determine the cause of the fire. He said the 10-room house had electrical power year round.

He also said acts of vandalism have occurred at the house in recent years.

“They seemed to get a little bit worse each year,” he said. He said at this point he cannot help but think the fire was deliberately set.

The haunted house event, which draws thousands of people from all over the region each year at Halloween, is the rescue squad’s largest fund-raising event. Cooke estimated the haunted house raises about $40,000 a year for the squad.

“We lost more than just a house,” Cooke said. “This hurts the entire community.”

The rescue squad owned the house and owns the surrounding property.

“It was built specifically to be the haunted house,” Cooke said.

Rescue squad members themselves built the nearly 1,500-square-foot house in 1997. One member died as a result of injuries he suffered in an accident during construction when he fell off the roof, according to Cooke.

“That makes this even more heart wrenching,” he said.

Cooke estimated the monetary value of the house at $50,000 to $60,000.

The community is also reaching out to the rescue squad, Cooke said.

“I’ve had calls from individuals and businesses offering to help, offering donations. One of the other haunted houses even offered to donate some people to help us out,” he said.

Heritage Community Bank in Hartsville has set up an account to receive financial donations for the rescue squad, Cooke said. Donations, which are tax deductible, can be dropped off at the bank or sent to P.O. Box 2255, Hartsville, SC 29550, he said.

The squad also welcomes donations of time and materials, Cooke said.

In previous years, the rescue squad used three other houses as the haunted house, he said.
The all-volunteer Lake Robinson Rescue Squad was founded in 1967 and has about 70 members, according to Cooke.

The sheriff’s office is asking anyone who may have information about the fire to call (843) 398-4501.