Saluda mourns firefighters killed by Helen, first in the county to lose her life in the line of duty

“We’ll take it from here.”

This message was posted on the Circle Fire Department sign Saturday afternoon, as the station honored volunteer firefighters George Chad Satcher, 53, Landon Cale Bodie, 18, who were killed the day before when a tree fell on their fire truck. en route to a structure fire near Batesburg-Leesville.

Staff at the volunteer-run fire station in rural Saluda County were on hand but not on duty Saturday, as community members came out to offer support, hugging firefighters through windows cars. An engine from the neighboring Lexington County Fire Department was on scene, responding to all calls that came in.

Neither firefighters at the station nor anyone else will speak publicly about the tragedy for a few more days, Saluda County Fire Coordinator Mark Lybrand told reporters, stressing that they are still in shock of this loss. He said Satcher and Bodie were, to his knowledge, the first two firefighters in the department’s history to lose their lives in the line of duty.

“We would like to ask the community and state for their overwhelming support during this extremely difficult time,” the department posted on Facebook. “We lost two dedicated members who loved their community and neighbors enough to make the ultimate sacrifice. »

The department said funeral arrangements for the fallen firefighters were underway.

Saluda County community mourns loss of firefighters as it, like many places across the state, struggles to recover from the impacts of Hurricane Helene, the storm that felled the tree that claimed lives to Satcher and Bodie and two other residents of the county. who died at home. Downtown Saluda was dark and largely vacant Saturday afternoon, with awnings and signs torn down along the Main Street sidewalk. As of 3:30 p.m., Dominion Energy reported that of 6,128 customers in the county, 6,001 were without power.

The downed trees still partially blocked the rough Beulah Highway, along which the tree fell on Satcher and Bodie’s fire truck. At the accident site, tree trunks and branches had been cut and moved to the side, while glass and small debris from the engine were still on the roadway.

But people in the community remained resilient. A woman sitting the parking lot at the Hopps gas station next to the Circle Fire Department, they proudly let people know that the Dollar Tree next door was giving out free ice cream.

“Everyone is pulling together,” she said from her truck.

In the dark, helpless gas station store, owner Gunvant Patel told customers he was less open to selling perishable goods that would go bad than to being there for people looking for items to survive while the area recovered. He quickly turned around to see a man who had left with his arms full of bottled water.

Patel said firefighters and EMS personnel from stations that line the gas station come frequently and he talks with many of them. He said Satcher often came to the store for coffee and a chat.

“He buys me diesel and food,” Patel said. “He was a really nice guy.”