“We were actually inside the laundromat and you know had we not walked out who knows if we would be here today,” said Lakeisha Cope.
It started as a normal Friday for Effingham County High School teacher Lakeisha Cope and her five-year-old daughter. But she says that changed after she went to sit outside the Springfield Laundromat.
“I said ‘Oh my God, I smell smoke. And I got up and walked around the side of the building right there where the smoke was coming from and I said ‘Oh my God, this place is burning, it’s on fire! It’s smoking!’” said Cope.
She quickly grabbed her daughter, hopped in the car, moved, and waited for the fire department. While they were waiting, she says someone tried to put the fire out, but it didn’t work.
Effingham County Emergency Management Agency responded to a call about a structure fire around 5:25 p.m. on Friday.