By JOHNNY WEEKS
jweeks.editor.mt@gmail.com
This past Saturday morning, the Emergency Dispatch Center of Clarendon County received a frantic 911 call. The caller reported to the dispatcher that a home was on fire near the lake. Emergency personnel, to include Clarendon County Sheriff’s Office, Clarendon Fire Department, and Clarendon EMS, responded to the scene to render aid. The location of the residence was on Stillwater Drive off of Hwy 260.
Upon their arrival, the mobile home had visible smoke emanating from the rear of the residence. A nearby storage building was also in flames. Fire Dept personnel donned their protective gear and prepared to battle the blaze using water lines from their engine. Once the flames were greatly diminished and under control, the firefighters were able to gain entry inside the mobile home to make an interior attack on the fire.
When the scene was deemed to be safe, the firefighters were able to inspect the rooms and discovered the bodies of two people inside the home.
In a press release sent from Clarendon County Coroner Bucky Mock on Tuesday, the bodies were identified as John Blanton, 67, and his wife, Marylynn Blanton, 59.
“Next of kin has been notified,” said Mock. “An autopsy was conducted at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston Sunday to determine the cause of death for the victims. The results are still pending.”
“The investigation in their deaths is being conducted by the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division,” Mock added.
