SC fire hits Darlington’s downtown businesses

DARLINGTON, S.C. (AP) — Owners of several downtown Darlington businesses are coming to grips with the effect of a fire that erupted in the town’s center.

WIS reported Sunday (http://bit.ly/oYmSED) that Darlington Mayor Tony Watkins said the blaze was contained to one building that contains three businesses. No one was injured in the fire, but several apartments were evacuated.

Downtown residents were not allowed to return to their homes due to smoke, but were given shelter at the Trinity Methodist Youth Building.

Fire investigators think an electrical problem sparked the fire, but an investigation into the exact cause could take weeks.

Early estimates put the fire and smoke damage at hundreds of thousands of dollars.

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Information from: WIS-TV, http://www.wistv.com