SPARTANBURG (AP) -- A fire marshal says two South Carolina residents didn't call for help in a house fire because they were afraid they would have to pay for the firefighters.
The Herald-Journal of Spartanburg reported two people used a garden hose to fight a fire at their Spartanburg County home and inhaled some smoke in the effort. They refused medical treatment.
Spartanburg Fire Marshal Mike Julazadeh says the residents were confused by news stories on possible fees for fire serve in neighboring Cherokee County. Officials in Cherokee County are killing the fee they had added to help volunteer fire departments bill insurance companies.
Julazadeh emphasized there is no charge to call 911 to report a fire or for emergency response. He says Friday's fire was caused by unattended cooking
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