A popular trout fishing lodge on the Soque River near Batesville sustained minor fire damage Wednesday night. The owner of Brigadoon Lodge reported the fire to Habersham County E-911 around 7:30 p.m. on September 6.
The back deck of the fishing lodge was undergoing renovations, and officials say that contributed to the fire.
“It was a pile of oily rags that the construction workers had piled up before they left for the day,” says Habersham County Emergency Services Battalion Chief Dwight McNally. “They had been renovating the back deck and using wood stain. The rags were saturated with stains and other chemicals.”
McNally says the fire was accidental.
“Spontaneous combustion set them ablaze on the back deck of the lodge. The homeowner was able to quickly put out the fire with a water hose.”
Firefighters checked the lodge to make sure the fire had not spread and removed the rags from the porch. They remained at the scene for about an hour.
The lodge suffered only minor damage to the deck, some siding, and a window. No one was injured.
