‘A total loss’: Crews battle fire at Summerville school

SUMMERVILLE, S.C. (WCSC) - Fire investigators are working to determine the cause of an early-morning fire that has devastated a childhood development center in Summerville.

Summerville Fire Department officials said they responded just after 5 a.m. to Archway Academy on Miles Jamison Road.

Assistant Fire Marshall Jeremiah Lee said the first officers to arrive on the scene found the building fully engulfed with fire visible through the roof.

The bulk of the fire was extinguished by just before 6:30 a.m., Lee said, but crews would remain on the scene to work on hot spots.

Lee said the building was a total loss after the fire.

Employees who arrived at the scene said no one was inside the building at the time of the fire, but said they have no idea how the fire could have started.

A portion of Miles Jamison Road was closed between Gahagan Road and Old Trolley Road Thursday morning. Crews have not said when that part of the roadway would reopen.

Motorists are asked to avoid the area and find an alternate route.

The Summerville facility featured six classrooms that serve children ages 12 months to 12 years old, according to its website. The Summerville location was recognized in 2016 as one of the top day cames in the entire Tri-County area by readers of Lowcountry Parent Magazine.

Founded in Sumter in 1985, the Summerville location opened in 2007.

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