Staff report
A fire that destroyed a barn in the southwestern corner of Rowan County early Sunday remained under investigation Monday, a fire official said.
Frank Greene, public information officer with the Atwell Volunteer Fire Department, said the barn was empty.
When firefighters arrived around midnight at the property, which sits near the intersection of Brancy Street and Dogwood Drive just off Unity Church Road, the barn was already engulfed in flames, Greene said. The roof collapsed before the first engines arrived.
With a narrow road leading to the barn, tankers could be driven in only one at a time. That didn’t present a problem with water supply, however, Greene said.
With the two-story barn already a loss, firefighters took a defensive stance and concentrated on containing the fire. Flames did extend to some nearby woods, but firefighters extinguished those quickly, Greene said.
“It was a good response, a quick response out of everybody, especially in the middle of the night,” Greene said.
Firefighters cleared the scene around 3 a.m.
Fire departments from three counties responded. Atwell received aid from the China Grove, South Iredell, Odell and Kannapolis departments. The Rowan Rescue Squad also responded.
Deborah Horne, an investigator with the Rowan County Fire Marshal’s Office working on the case, could not be reached by phone Monday afternoon.