This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks The action you just performed triggered the security solution There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page SC (WACH) -- The National Weather Service has confirmed on Tuesday a EF-2 tornado touchdown in Bamberg Along with a EF-1 waterspout/tornado that came onshore on the north side of Lake Murray near Chapin The National Weather Service has released the official survey for the EF-1 The EF-1 tornado touched down in Lake Murray area with wind speeds of roughly 90 mph It was on the ground for 3 minutes starting at 2:13 pm it traveled 1.71 miles with a max wide of 150 yards This is the first tornado to affect our forecast area in 2024 and the first since the end of August when #Idalia created the EF-1 Turbeville tornado a EF-2 tornado touched down at 2:46 pm and was on the ground for 2 minutes The EF-2 peak winds were 125 mph with max width of 500 yards therefore there was significant damage in the downtown Bamberg region Tuesday we experienced excessive amount of rain between 1-3 inches of showers A Flood Warning is in effect for rivers for Kershaw Lexington and Richland counties until further notice after the excessive rainfall Tuesday We're urging people to stay out of flooded areas and to never drive through a flooded roadway or around barricades There wereplaces in the area where the wind gust between40 to 64 mph we can anticipate a surface high-pressure system to be push through our arealocated a new weather systems makes it's way into our area with a risk of isolated thunderstorms and more showers (WOLO) — Fire crews extinguished a house fire in the morning at a home on Lake Murray Firefighters were dispatched to a home on Ballentine Estates Road shortly after 10:30 a.m When the Columbia Richland Fire Department and the Irmo Fire District arrived to the scene crews found smoke showing and heavy fire in the rear of the structure They were able to control the fire and extinguish it Officials say the property owner was home at the time of the fire but heard smoke alarms going off and escaped He was assessed by EMS crews at the scene and did not require transport The cause of the fire was determined to be an electrical source in the back of the home COLUMBIA, S.C. (WACH) - Late Wednesday night, a Richland County jury convicted Tracy Gordon of reckless homicide by operation of a boat in a 2019 boat crash that killed a man and injured that man's wife and daughter The jury deliberated for approximately eight hours and appeared to be deadlocked as they weighed several charges against Gordon after hearing almost a week of witness testimony Gordon was found not guilty of two charges of felony boating under the influence The verdict came just hours before the four-year anniversary of the crash that killed 68-year-old Stan Kiser, caused his wife to lose a leg and led to Kiser's daughter suffering head injuries On that night in 2019, Gordon crashed into the Kiser's boat on Lake Murray both Shawn and Morgan Kiser lobbied state lawmakers to draft more comprehensive boating safety laws In July, Governor Henry McMaster signed a bill into a law which ramps up regulations and safety requirements for boaters in South Carolina Sentencing for Tracy Gordon is set for Thursday morning at the Richland County Courthouse (WACH) — Dominion Energy will conduct the annual test of the Lake Murray Dam inundation sirens on Tuesday The test will take place at 12 pm and last about three minutes The siren system includes 10 rotating sirens near the Saluda River in Richland and Lexington counties If an actual emergency occurs at the Lake Murray Dam and backup damn Dominion Energy also conducts one-minute test of the sirens monthly These tests are a component of Dominion Energy South Carolina’s operation licensure by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission The home of Graysen and Hannah Craddock on Marling Drive in Columbia Downed trees blocked an intersection in the Woodland Hills neighborhood near Columbia the morning of Sept A large oak tree fell on USC's historic Horseshoe during Tropical Storm Helene Sept Flooding and heavy winds closed roads and knocked out power across the Columbia area as Tropical Storm Helene clobbered parts of the Southeast in the early morning hours Friday Two trees fell onto Eleanor McNish's house in the Woodland Hills neighborhood near Columbia crushing her front entryway and collapsing a front bedroom COLUMBIA — Flooding and heavy winds closed roads and knocked out power across the Columbia area, as Tropical Storm Helene clobbered parts of the Southeast in the early morning hours Sept Across the state, more than 1.2 million people were without power as of 8:05 a.m more than 200 roads were blocked due to fallen debris and power lines downed power lines and falling trees damaged property and scrap metal was reported flying in the wind according to the town of less than 500 people The tropical storm made landfall in Florida at 11:10 p.m. Sept. 26 and made its way toward the state. Winds reached gusts of 67 mph at the Columbia Metropolitan Airport, the National Weather Service said.  Forecasters had initially predicted a mild 2 to 3 inches of rain for the Columbia area North of 7 inches of rain had fallen as of early Thursday evening "We are experiencing the rain a little bit earlier and at a lot more volume than what we had anticipated for today," Columbia City Manager Teresa Wilson said. The Post and Courier's reporters are following the storm. Updates will be provided here as Helene unfolds. See something we should know? Send us an email. Source: NOAA | HONGYU LIU and BRANDON LOCKETT | THE POST AND COURIER Nearly half of Lexington County remained without power in the evening hours Friday night according to Lexington County Sheriff's Department spokesperson Adam Myrick That number is down from 53.5 percent of the county around 8 p.m The city of Forest Acres reported two injuries from storm damage according to a statement from city spokeswoman Lynnsey Baker Two girls were injured by a falling tree outside their home on Furman Avenue at 7:30 a.m "They have been released from the hospital Escaped with stitches," Baker told The Post and Courier The small town between Fort Jackson and Columbia expects restoration of power take several days Neither Richland One or Two sustained damage to school buildings The Town of Irmo cancelled the 50th annual Okra Strut Festival citing ongoing damage and clean-up efforts related to Tropical Storm Helene prioritizing the safety of our community is paramount," Irmo's Chamber of Commerce said in a press release Dominion Energy opened a spill gate at the Lake Murray dam to compensate for a unit at the plant that is currently out of service for scheduled maintenance a spokesperson for Dominion Energy South Carolina Dominion also flowed water through the Saluda Hydroelectric plant's generators Downed trees dotted the landscape around Chapin and Newberry County as local fire and rescue crews worked to clear roads Pine trees fell through multiple homes in a Little Mountain mobile home park Brittany Hasse and her boyfriend were in their kitchen when a tree came crashing down into two of their bedrooms early in the morning They’d been woken up earlier by other trees toppling down next door around 4 a.m “It seemed like it was dominoes,” Hasse said of the falling trees Power has been restored at the Forest Drive and Trenholm Road Forest Acres spokesperson Lynnsey Baker confirmed Much of Forest Drive appeared to have its power restored The bridge along the road has been reopened The city's police department recorded more than 135 calls for services from around 5 this morning got at least 50 calls since Thursday evening This is the most amount of trees down in Forest Acres that people can remember Reports into Lexington Emergency Operations Center state that 68 percent of the county is without power spokesperson for Lexington County Sheriff's department Work crews cleared roads of downed trees and power lines in Forest Acres in the aftermath of Tropical Storm Helen on Friday A tree felled from from Tropical Storm Helene crushes a car in Forest Acres Crews work to clean up damage from Tropical Storm Helene after gusts of wind and battering rains damaged property and wipes out power in Forest Acres Damage from Tropical Storm Helene damages property and wipes out power in Forest Acres Damage from Tropical Storm Helene blocks roads and wipes out power in Forest Acres Crews worked through the day after Tropical Storm Helene downed trees and power lines in Forest Acres blocking dozens of roads in Richland County on Friday Tropical Storm Helene downed trees and power lines in Forest Acres Work crews cleared roads of downed trees and power lines in Forest Acres in the aftermath of Tropical Storm Helene on Sept Downed trees and power lines blocked roads in Forest Acres A downed tree crushed a Little Mountain mobile home on Friday Helene's impact topples several trees in a Little Mountain mobile home park on Friday Tropical Storm Helene caused widespread destruction as it moved through Florida Georgia and the Carolinas before reaching the Appalachians and heading further north In Forest Acres and the neighborhoods along Trenholm Road fallen trees and downed power lines blocked several main roads The Trenholm Road and Forest Hills area in Columbia were particularly impacted with numerous fallen trees and streets covered in branches and debris Near the intersection of Trenholm Road and Beltline Boulevard Lexington County Sheriff's deputies were out Friday morning clearing debris and fallen limbs from roads more than 200 roads in the county were unpassable as of noon Sept "Please do not get out on the roads if you don’t have to," the department tweeted The Lexington and Northeast sites of Lexington Medical Center will open today All other urgent care locations will remain closed due to power concerns Lexington Medical Center Practices will be closed today The University of South Carolina confirmed it hadn't seen major damage but several trees were down on and around campus including along the university's historic Horseshoe Classes at the university were moved online for Friday and are expected to resume in-person on Monday but a final decision had not been made yet Lexington County Sheriff's Department has no reports of major injuries or deaths associated with the storm First responders will continue to assess storm damage and road closures across the county The sheriff's department will continue to focus on identifying and clearing obstructions on main highways and primary roads Richland County sheriff's office said they have no reported injuries or deaths City of Columbia Police and Fire Departments were not immediately available That doesn't mean calls didn't flood in related to accidents in Friday's early morning hours Columbia police received over 70 calls — more than 20 were for collapsed structures 6 for possible structure fires and 6 for car accidents 11:12 a.m. The number of people without power across South Carolina has surpassed 1.3 million. Of the more than 800,000 homes that Dominion Energy serves, around 40 percent are without power.  "Dominion Energy crews are working as quickly and safely as possible to assess the damage caused by Hurricane Helene we are not able to provide an estimated time of restoration," its website says City of Columbia has reopened portions of Whaley Street and Main Street that were closed due to flooding Whaley Street between Assembly and Sumter is reopen as is the portion of Main between Catawba and Whaley The city said in a press release that it will "continue to monitor roadways and will close any streets that are deemed unsafe to travel on." Helene toppled trees across the Woodland Hills neighborhood off Bush River Road including two that fell on to Eleanor McNish's house splintering the cornice over her front door and collapsing a bedroom ceiling The second tree came down with a crash around 7 a.m. She's lived in the area for more than 50 years a tree had cracked in half over her neighbor's house Others damaged the roof of Shannon Campbell who was woken up with her parents by the wind before hearing the tree's impact four downed trees blocked roads around one intersection one landing on top of cars parked in a resident's driveway A neighbor's tree fell into Bert Goolsby's backyard damaging his roof and his late wife's studio in the backyard He had gone to sleep before the worst of the storm hit bringing down electrical wires as it rocked the house Both McNish and Goolsby said the storm was worse than what they remembered from Hurricane Hugo when it reached the area in 1989 The retail and nightlife district that sits just outside of the University of South Carolina's campus was largely unscathed by the inches of rain that hit the Columbia-area Thursday night either adjusted hours or closed altogether Drip Coffee has closed for Friday and The Gourmet Shop pushed its opening to 10 a.m All Lexington Medical Center Urgent Care locations will have a delayed opening today and all other locations will open at 12 p.m 9:14 a.m. The Columbia Metropolitan Airport saw around 20 delays or cancelations for both arrivals and departures for Friday, according to Flight Aware. Calhoun County saw widespread power outages and downed trees At least one person had to be rescued from a home after being trapped by a downed tree a rural area just outside of Aiken with a population of around 20,000 Law enforcement officers said there were dozens of reported car accidents Local linemen said the downed lines were some of the worst they'd ever seen They estimated that around 60 miles of power lines were down in Barnwell Multiple people in Barnwell compared Helene to what they'd seen during Hurricane Hugo more than three decades ago The state's largest zoo and one of the region's larger tourism draws was closed Friday as a result of the storm A planned fundraiser was still scheduled to occur Friday evening 8:45 a.m. More than a dozen roads are closed or partially blocked, according to a West Columbia live road closure online tracker. Power lines and trees are down across the area. Live updates on which roads are blocked here.  Richland County officials shared a list of closed roads on social media late Thursday The roads should be avoided because of excessive flooding The Lexington Police Department reports the following streets are closed as a result of downed trees or power lines: Graysen and Hannah Craddock and their one-year-old daughter were awoken by a tree falling into their bedroom on Marling Drive around 7:30 a.m “I had just woken up to text my dad and make sure he was okay and then then next thing I know Neighbors rushed to help the 23-year-old whose face was cut and was bleeding Firefighters responded to the scene and treated their injuries Hannah Craddock said the family has lived there for around three years and she's never seen anything like this before The city of Forest Acres sent out an alert via Facebook warning citizens not to drive in the area Major intersections are without power and trees are down in roadways Power is out on Forest Drive and Trenholm Road News tips/online questions: newstips@postandcourier.com Delivery/subscription questions: subserve@postandcourier.com Your browser is out of date and potentially vulnerable to security risks.We recommend switching to one of the following browsers: Retrospective Story Map of Historic Rainfall and Flooding October 1st-5th 2015 Use the right and left arrows at the bottom of the storyboard to scroll through the story.  Click on "Learn More" to see additional information A cold front came through late night Wed Sep 30th and stalled near the coast for several days due to an upper level flow that paralled the surface front An upper level trough closed off and remained nearly stationary to our west for several days A surface area of low pressure developed along the front near the coast or just offshore while a strong area of surface high pressure built into eastern Canada This resulted in a strong low level flow off the Atlantic deep fetch of moisture northwestward towards the Carolinas from Hurricane Joaquin The combination of upper divergence and lift east of the closed low and a strong persistent low level flow off the Atlantic and associated low level moisture convergence and isentropic lift along with a plume of tropical moisture getting entrained into the system provided a band of heavy rain showers and a few thunderstorms that at times trained over the same areas and persisted for many hours The heaviest rain occurred from the Columbia vicinity The heaviest rainfall occurred late Saturday night Oct 3rd into the morning hours of Sunday Oct 4th.  At times rainfall rates of 2” inches per hour affected those locations for several hours.  This heavy and persistant rainfall occurred over urban areas where runoff rates were high and over grounds already wet from recent rains This heavy rainfall caused numerous roadway and bridge closings due to dam failures along with culvert and pipe washouts across the region Numerous life saving swift water rescues were performed. a significant gradient in rainfall amounts occurred in our CWA with 1-2 inches west of the Savannah River 2-4 inches just on the east side of the Savannah River with amounts ramping up to around 10 inches eastward into West Central Midlands with 10-20 inches from Columbia SE across the Eastern Midlands The NWS had been advertising this very heavy rainfall and flooding potential well in advance of the event Columbia Metro Airport set a new record for both the greatest one and two day rainfall totals some images below are rather large and may take a while to load on a slow connection Below is a map showing Rainfall Totals through the Evening of October 4th.  Just below the image is the latest updated Public Information Statement detailing location amounts LOCATION                         COUNTY/STATE       AMOUNT (IN.) click on the following image to show a loop of the Flooding that occurred during the morning hours of Oct 4th at the intersection of Whaley and Main in Columbia Below is an image linking to the earth Observatory site by Nasa This page shows some before and after satellite images of Columbia Radar Loop beginning on Oct 1st and ending on Oct 5th. This video loop is courtesy of a Facebook posting by Shea Gibson at Weatherflow here are some other Photos of Flooding from across the Region SC (WACH) - Richland County Coroner Gary Watts has confirmed the body found Wednesday in Lake Murray is that of a swimmer who was last seen Saturday Watts said 44-year-old Phillip Cobb of Irmo died from asphyxiation due to drowning Cobb's body was recovered Wednesday afternoon McCullough said the Irmo man was with a group of people on a boat Saturday when he jumped into the water to swim The boat was drifting in the opposite direction of Cobb and when he turned around McCullough said that DNR crews were called in Saturday and perform diving efforts every day until they were able to recover Cobb's body Wednesday DNR and the Richland County Sheriff's Department continue to investigate Share on FacebookShare on X (formerly Twitter)Share on PinterestShare on LinkedInJackson LaVelle Barwick SC (WIS) - A prominent Columbia attorney is dead after drowning in Lake Murray Saturday evening According to Richland County Coroner Gary Watts 87-year-old Jackson Barwick of Love Valley Court was in waist deep water cooling off from the heat when he called out for help Watts said Barwick was under the water for a short time before family and friends were able to get to him CPR was started and he was transported by EMS to Lexington Medical Center where he was pronounced dead at 7:04 p.m An autopsy performed today shows that Barwick died from asphyxiation due to drowning According to his online obituary Ravenel & Bender in Columbia until his retirement in 2000 Barwick was a member of American Bar Association Richland County Bar Association and Georgia Bar Association He was the past president of Columbia Claims Association South Carolina Claims Association and Claims Management Association of South Carolina he was past president of South Carolina Defense Trial Attorneys' Association and was a recipient of the third annual Hemphill Award the award was presented to him for distinguished and meritorious service to the legal profession and the public Barwick was an Elder at Lake Murray Presbyterian Church in Chapin Texas in 1945 and they recently celebrated their 67th wedding anniversary pictured after a day spent duck hunting with a friend was his Christmas morning," said his mother The family of an Elgin teen killed in a boating accident on the Congaree River is suing the state Department of Natural resources various Richland County entities and employees and the boat’s driver for negligence they say contributed to the 19-year-old’s death Jessica Holdman is a business reporter for The Post & Courier covering Columbia she reported on business in North Dakota for The Bismarck Tribune and has previously written for The Spokesman-Review in Spokane COLUMBIA — The family of an Elgin teen killed in a boating accident on the Congaree River is suing the state Department of Natural Resources various Richland County entities and employees Jaden Phillips’ parents filed the wrongful death suit days before the second anniversary of the May 16 accident that would end the 19-year-old's life Court documents allege the boat’s driver had consumed alcohol driven recklessly and failed to call 911 or DNR the state agency in charge of investigating accidents on the water Responding Richland County sheriff's deputies did not secure the scene or ask a number of crucial questions and did not contact DNR And the ambulance did not come with enough personnel causing delays in care for the blunt force trauma Phillips suffered to his head the family claims laws were broken and standards of care were not met Phillips died four days after the accident Lawyers for the family said in court documents filed May 13 in Richland County civil court their clients were subjected to “prolonged hospitalization; physical and mental pain and suffering; mental anguish and emotional distress; discomfort and decline as a result of Jaden Phillips’ injuries; loss of enjoyment of life; insults to his human dignity; death; and other economic and non-economic damages." The family is seeking to recover the cost of medical expenses and other compensation Richland County Sheriff's Department declined to comment saying it had not received any information on the lawsuit who is facing misdemeanor charges in the relation to the accident and DNR did not respond to requests for comment “It was just a terrible accident,” the driver's lawyer The Post and Courier examined what happened the day Phillips died in a lengthy report in 2021 The riverside camping trip that led to the accident was a celebration of Phillips’ 19th birthday Phillips and friends spent more than five hours on a sandbar about 40 miles south of Columbia’s Gervais Street Bridge piloted by longtime family friend Irvin Eckrote who the lawsuit claimed had consumed alcohol and was featured in a cellphone video shot by Phillips with a beer can in his hand As another boat from the party rounded a bend in the river following Eckrote Eckrote had crashed into the top of an overhanging tree according to a statement the nearby boat driver gave to the Sheriff’s Department Eckrote would later tell a sheriff's deputy that Phillips hadn't ducked under a low-hanging limb The second driver told Eckrote to call 911 He rushed back to the boat ramp where the party had cast off earlier in the day A bystander at the ramp called for help just before 8 p.m But the calls would be bounced between various counties’ dispatch centers with operators unsure about jurisdiction for response less than 500 feet from the Calhoun County line A Richland County ambulance driver would then ride back and forth on the bridge overhead struggling to locate the entrance to the boat ramp The ambulance left the station with only two people not yet knowing Phillips was unconscious and unstable which would require a third person to help tend to him They had to wait for a third ambulance crew member A call also was placed to DNR by another bystander it’s clear DNR dispatchers knew someone had suffered a serious injury but it’s unclear if they knew whether it occurred on the water Richland County sheriff's deputies responded to the scene and spoke with Eckrote did not ask Eckrote’s name or whether he’d had anything to drink even though a crowd told him other members of the party had been drinking alcohol Brigman left the boat landing without securing the scene or calling DNR despite having been told it was an injury that happened on the water though in a report issued nine days later read DNR would only officially learn the accident occurred on the water a week later and by then potential evidence was lost the family said the confused response by emergency personnel meant Phillips' condition worsened in the crucial time following the accident Eckrote is scheduled to stand trial June 16 for misdemeanors of driving under suspension and negligent operation of a watercraft Reach Jessica Holdman at jholdman@postandcourier.com News tips: znicholson@postandcourier.com Subscription questions: subserve@postandcourier.com LEXINGTON — There are so many reasons Mark Thurston should be dead right now A series of coincidences and quirks of timing placed the 59-year-old Lexington man on a particular flight last month out of Charlotte next to fellow Columbia-bound passengers who would end up saving his life Shortly before Thurston’s connecting flight back to Columbia took off on June 27 he told his seatmate he was heading to the restroom ‘your bag is not unattended,’” said Teddy Carfolite a history and geography teacher at Columbia High School in Richland 1 That’s when a group of Richland County teachers and a former Army Ranger jumped into action keeping Thurston alive for some 20 minutes before he was stabilized and transported to a local hospital Now back at home on the shores of Lake Murray on Friday welcomed to their home eight of the educators who helped save his life They wanted to check on how he’s doing I’m still doing my breathing exercises,” said Thurston now out of the hospital for almost two weeks Thurston says he feels a connection with all the strangers-turned-new friends who filled his home on Friday Thurston was on his way back from a business trip to Minneapolis rushing to meet his connecting flight to Columbia he talked and joked with a group of 20 educators from Richland 1 and Richland 2 on their way home from a conference in Tampa “I got there right when we were boarding and I did my yippy-skippy dance,” Thurston said “I thought the hard part was over.” some of those same teachers were rushing to keep Thurston’s heart beating as he stopped breathing on the floor of the cabin His head was on my leg,” said Brandi Dalton a first-grade teacher at Rice Creek Elementary in Richland 2 “I thought he had passed out from the heat.” Carfolite began looking through Thurston’s bag to see if he had any pills or information about a medical condition an innovative program designer at Richland 2 hopped over the seat in front of him and started doing chest compressions as O’Neill knelt beside the emergency exit who started giving Thurston mouth-to-mouth resuscitation like when you see your buddy fall on the battlefield,” said Turner Army Central at Shaw Air Force Base as a civilian safety director these bystanders were the only ones keeping Thurston alive until first responders came onto the plane and began administering shocks to restart his heart Once Thurston was on the way to the hospital all the exhausted passengers settled down for the flight but not before a teacher called Candy Thurston from a number in her husband’s carry-on baggage to let her know what happened I didn’t understand what they were saying although they were very calm in what they said,” Candy Thurston Dalton was impressed with how well Candy Thurston handled it “She was so calm it was amazing,” Dalton said “If I got a call like that about my husband Candy’s son-in-law quickly drove her to the hospital in Charlotte part of which was spent in a medically-induced coma to a diet that will no longer include Bojangles’ “The doctor said if they had not started CPR when they did he wouldn’t have survived,” Candy Thurston said O’Neill had just been trained in CPR a week before the flight as part of a regular course offered by the district’s lead nurse “You never take those classes assuming you’re going to use it,” O’Neill said “But it was fresh in my mind.” and said “thanks for the class.” “It was a cool amount of cooperation between people,” O’Neill said “You realize that even if you don’t know someone you have responsibility to God to take care of each other.” Thurston was lucky to be where he was when the heart attack hit He only ended up in Charlotte because his original flight out of Chicago was canceled due to weather The teachers only booked their seats before they stepped onto the plane If he’d collapsed after he reached the bathroom he would have been out of sight of the people who saved him And the original scheduled take-off for the flight was delayed by about 15 minutes he probably would have died,” Dalton said Turner wasn’t able to attend Friday’s gathering but he offered some encouraging words to Thurston after he had triple bypass surgery himself a few years ago “I was walking a mile and a half within three months,” he said When the first responders finally came onboard Dalton and everyone seated in front of her were asked to evacuate the plane She said she stayed calm until she got down the ramp “Everybody was standing around bonding together I never saw so many people praying so quickly,” Dalton said She’s asking when the district will hold another seminar “Because I can’t stand aside and make a phone call again,” she said “It’s not about being a hero or an angel It’s just doing what you’re supposed to do.” (WIS) -Tonight will be cool again with low 50s we see dry conditions for Tuesday with mostly sunny skies Sheriff Leon Lott and DNR Colonel Alvin Taylor announced the opening of a new Richland County Marine Patrol Task Force Headquarters Tuesday 12 Apr 2011 15:38:20 GMT — CHAPIN (WACH) -- The Richland County Sheriff's Department and the DNR are teaming up to make a popular summer-time recreation area safer The agencies gathered at the new facility at Lighthouse Marina in Chapin Along with the announcement came a special donation presented a 28' boat to patrol Lake Murray at the gathering The organization says the boat showing its logo will also be used for school visits and community events "It provides quick response to the public that may be in danger on the lake or they need someone there in a hurry by having this facility here on the lake in Richland County is really going to make a huge difference," Taylor says Officials took the time to stress the importance of safety on open water The DNR says the leading cause of fatalities in the water is failure to wear a life jacket - Personal flotation devices " they must fit correctly be used for the intended purposes and everyone must have one- When it comes to children personal flotation devices should always be worn near any body of water- Boating safety checklist should always be followed when operating a water craft which includes navigational lights fire extinguishers and audible devices- No operation of water craft while under the influence of alcohol " if you are going to consume alcohol while boating please use a designated driver and you must be over the age of 21 Do you think a new patrol headquarters will make the waters safer in Richland County Share on FacebookShare on X (formerly Twitter)Share on PinterestShare on LinkedInSource: Danny RoofSource: Danny RoofBy Logan Smith - email SC (WIS) - Firefighters don't think there was anything suspicious about a fire that destroyed a Lake Murray house Saturday morning less than a mile away from the site of an intentionally set mansion fire last weekend Columbia Fire Chief Aubrey Jenkins said the fire started around 10:00am at a two-story house on Point de Haven Drive and was fully involved when Columbia firefighters got there Irmo firefighters joined Columbia's as they battled the blaze and Richland County deputies also brought a boat with a water pump Jenkins said firefighters had trouble because the nearest fire hydrant was about 2,100 feet away but the trucks' hoses reach about half that distance Jenkins said the owners of the Point de Haven Drive house were out of town when the fire started and the home was totally destroyed -- about half a million dollars in damage The fire was less than a mile away from Brantley Manor The Richland County Fire Marshal ruled the Brantley Manor fire as arson but officials haven't named any suspects in the blaze Fire Chief Aubrey Jenkins said so far there's no evidence that the Point de Haven Drive fire was suspicious or in any way related to the Brantley Manor fire The Richland County Fire Marshal is still investigating the cause of the Point de Haven Drive fire By Logan Smith - email Search IconChange Location7 Day ForecastHourlySunday81° 57°30%Monday82° 53°0%Tuesday81° 59°10%Wednesday79° 62°20%Thursday83° 61°30%Friday80° 58°30%Saturday66° 56°20%Interactive RadarLatest WeathercastLATEST FORECAST Columbia, SCCooler and drier start to the week sets perfect stage for Cinco de Mayo celebrations A cold front is expected to stall offshore this morning as it slowly moves away from the coast. This will bring slightly cooler and drier conditions to start the workweek. As for Cinco de Mayo on Monday, expect dry and seasonable conditions—perfect for any outdoor celebrations, with comfortable highs and clear evening skies. Overnight temperatures will dip several degrees due to light winds and clear skies, with Monday night lows in the lower to mid-50s. Monday and Tuesday will offer calm, pleasant weather, with highs in the upper 70s to lower 80s—right around average for early May. However, Tuesday night will be a bit milder as humidity gradually increases. Starting Wednesday, a more unsettled weather pattern is expected to take hold. An upper-level low approaching from the west will increase the risk of showers and thunderstorms through Saturday. Some areas may experience multiple rounds of rainfall. A stalling cold front near the region late Friday or early Saturday could prolong wet conditions into the weekend.