Christmas Eve fires keep departments busy
Published 12:05 am Saturday, December 28, 2024
Firefighters had to vent parts of the roofline to put out hotspots that remained after most of the fire at Loves Auto Repair Shop was extinguished Tuesday afternoon, and bits of the tree trunks continued to smolder. The fire started just before 4 p.m. and was knocked down within 30 minutes. The house next door suffered exterior damage that included the loss of power. Photo by Elisabeth Strillacci
The corner of a residence affected by a late afternoon fire on Cemetery Drive in Faith Tuesday afternoon can be seen on the right side of the photo, and behind the swingest on the left is the roofline of Loves Auto Repair, which suffered more extensive damage in the fire. Photo by Elisabeth Strillacci
Kannapolis firefighters respond to a house fire Christmas Eve night that left a family and several pets displaced. One pet was treated for smoke inhalation. Photo courtesy Kannapolis Fire Chief Tracy Winecoff
The left side of this structore on Charter Way in Faith was destroyed by an afternoon fire, including the falling in of the roof. The cause of the fire is not yet known, but no one was injured. Photo by Elisabeth Strillacci
In the left side of this picture there are still flames at the bottom of the structure, and smoke can be seen coming out from under the eaves of the chimney on the far right. The structure, reportedly used for storage, was considered a total loss. Photo by Elisabeth Strillacci
Three fires on Christmas Eve and one on Dec. 26 kept fire departments in Rowan County busy over the holidays.
A fire at Love’s Auto Repair Shop on Cemetery Drive on the edge of Faith broke out Tuesday afternoon and some of the fire spread to the family’s home next door. According to Andrew King with the Rowan County Fire Marshal’s Office, the fire has been deemed accidental and while he was not sure the shop was a total loss, he did say it was “heavily damaged.”
King said the fire was caused by sparks that “escaped a fire pit between the house and the shop.”
The fire reportedly caused some damage to the residence as well, and power and water were lost and will need to be restored after repairs are made. The American Red Cross is helping the family.
A Facebook post from business owner Johnny Love stated that the business was “gutted and all equipment burnt,” but the home “can be repaired.” With a remarkably positive attitude, he thanked everyone for the prayers.
Although the initial fire sent a plume of black smoke above the trees, the responding departments set up a tanker relay and managed to get the fire under control quickly.
Tuesday evening, Kannapolis firefighters responded to a house fire off Oakshade Avenue, south of downtown. According to reports, the first firefighters to arrive reported fire showing from the back of the home and extending into the attic.
A search found no residents at home, but three dogs and a cat were rescued. One dog was treated for smoke inhalation, according to Kannapolis Fire Chief Tracy Winecoff. The other animals were uninjured. This family is also being assisted by the American Red Cross.
Another small fire on North Jackson Street in Salisbury was reported Tuesday night but ended up being a small attic fire that was controlled rapidly, but which caused damage to the upper floor, according to officials. No one was injured in the fire.
On Thursday around 3 p.m., a fire in a cabin on Charter Way in Faith was reported. A cabin at the end of the gravel road which was reportedly being used for storage, rather than a residence, caught fire and the structure was completely damaged, according to South Salisbury Fire Chief Jason Burnett. No one was injured in the fire that saw a collapse of the entire left side of the roof of the building. Firefighters called for foam application at one point to help completely suffocate the hot spots that continued to crop up.
King, who also investigated the Charter Way fire, said the fire began in the middle front area of the structure, was also not intentional.
“We just can’t say for certain exactly what went wrong but we speculate it was accidental in nature,” he said.
Pooletown had two fires in the week before Christmas as well, both in occupied homes. One was a total loss, the other had damage to the attic and basement but is repairable.
As the weather has grown colder, many residents use interior fires as extra heat sources and fire officials remind residents that fireplaces should be inspected annually, that any live fires should be monitored, and that any extension cords for things like space heaters should be used according to manufacturers directions and space heaters should not be left unattended or near any flammable materials like curtains or blankets.
