Firefighters battle blaze in the rear portion of the House of Pizza in Uptown Clinton. The business was destroyed.
The Laurens County Development Corporation posted, "Sending heartfelt prayers to the City of Clinton, SC and our friends at House of Pizza in Clinton, as well as surrounding business owners and families. Thank you to all firefighters and emergency personnel for your courage and support in responding to the scene. #community #lovelaurenscounty"
Dempsey's Pizza posted, "Our prayers go out to all the businesses involved in the fire downtown and prayers to all our firefighters and first responders."
WYFF News quoted Clinton Fire Marshal Donya Langston as saying, "They are older buildings. The biggest issue we ran into was the fire spread through the basement." The Upstate TV station quoted Kaylen McKittrick as saying, "I think broken hearts because I've been here for 20 years and all I know is House of Pizza and the jewelry store."
Their coverage and interviews are on the WYFF-TV Facebook page.
This tragedy comes in a year already marked by tragedy for Clinton - the death of the firefighter in the line of duty and the death of a former Clinton High student-athlete in circumstances that have not been fully explained, at a house within walking distance of this fire, and the arrest of a man after barricading himself in the house. First responders also recently covered a car vs electric pole accident that cut power for the Uptown area, just around the corner from the fire scene.
The tragedy comes just 4 days before the county's iconic high school football game - Clinton vs Laurens, this season at Clinton's Wilder Stadium. Traditionally, the game ball is run along Hwy 76 - Carolina Avenue through Uptown by the Clinton and Laurens cross-country teams.
Motorists are asked to avoid the Uptown area during this morning's school runs, until further notice.
