Investigators may soon be on the trail of an arsonist if initial suspicions about Thursday's fire that destroyed a Creekmore subdivision residence prove true.

State fire investigators were called in to assist county and city authorities in determining what caused a two-story Clifton Circle home to go up in flame and smoke about midday Thursday.

"We have SLED on the ground," Orangeburg County Sheriff Larry Williams said. "There was a possible accelerant found in the home, which would make it a suspicious fire."

Firefighters were called out at about 12:34 p.m. Thursday to find a cottage-style home at 2105 Clifton Circle about 75 percent engulfed in flames.

Emergency personnel spent about three hours extinguishing the burning structure, which sent dark brown smoke spiraling 200 feet into the air.

No one was in the house at the time of the fire.

Williams said an investigation is standard protocol after any structure fire.

However, police believe they may have found what are traces of possible combustibles that could have been used to start a fire intentionally.

Investigators readily admit that in a typical residence, there may be found flammables in lawn mowers, fuel cans, grass trimmers or any number of other household or yard equipment.

But Orangeburg Department of Public Safety fire investigators n.jpgied county detectives Thursday after "a hydrocarbon detector found what may be accelerant in the bedroom, kitchen, back porch and front of the residence," according to an OCSO incident report.

Citing jurisdiction, ODPS Capt. Mike Adams would only say, "It's still under investigation," deferring further questions to the sheriff's office.

Williams said a hydrocarbon detector is designed to sniff out the most minute particles of flammables.

"It's a piece of equipment used to sense explosives, fuels or other combustibles," he said. "That equipment can tell you what it is."

SLED investigators have taken samples to Columbia for analysis, Williams said, which leaves investigators wondering if they have an arsonist on their hands.

"They'll take that (samples) for chemical testing to determine what we have," the sheriff said. "What we can say, it's very suspicious."

T&D Staff Writer Richard Walker can be reached by e-mail at rwalker@timesanddemocrat.com or by telephone at 803-533-5516. Discuss this and other stories on-line at TheTandD.com.

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