The State Fire Marshal’s Office has ruled the fire that destroyed the Diamond Jewelry and Loan pawn shop in Baldwin was accidental. Investigators say it was caused by an “electrical malfunction.”
The business on GA 365 was destroyed by fire on Saturday. Baldwin Fire Chief Joe Roy says the building did not have a sprinkler system and firefighters’ efforts were hampered by high winds and low water pressure. Tanker trucks from Habersham and White County Fire Departments had to haul in water to help firefighters battle the blaze.
A Cornelia firefighter was injured when his feet got hung on the rungs of a ladder truck as the ladder was being extended. The firefighter, whose name has not been released, was transported to Northeast Georgia Medical Center in Gainesville where he was treated and released. Officials say he suffered severe bruising to both his feet but no broken bones.
Both north and southbound lanes of GA 365 in Baldwin were blocked between Wilbanks Road (northbound) and Duncan Bridge Road (southbound) for more than five hours due to fire hoses being stretched across all four lanes. As of 11:20 p.m. Saturday, that section of highway was reopened.
Firefighters and police will remain on the scene until state and federal investigators arrive Sunday. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) is involved because firearms were sold at the pawn shop. Chief Roy asked the State Fire Marshal’s Office to investigate the cause of the fire. Right now, he says there’s no clear indication as to what started it.
Baldwin Mayor Jerry Neace says the shop was open and employees were inside when the fire broke out around 5 p.m. “Initial reports say that it started somewhere where the eave met the building and it stayed in the walls,” he says. “By the time they discovered it, it was too late.”
One employee lost her car when the outside awning of the shop crashed on top of it. Fortunately she was not injured.
A number of passersby witnessed the fire before the highway was shut down. Roberta Bailey was among them. She and her husband were at the nearby Hayes Chevrolet car dealership looking at vehicles when they noticed the fire. “We heard an alarm going off in the direction of the jewelry store next door,” says Bailey. “We looked over to the business and saw smoke coming out of the roof above the entrance. My husband called 911 and the dispatcher advised emergency personnel were en route. Flames were visible coming from the peak of the roof above the entryway. We heard sirens in the distance even as my husband was disconnecting his call to 911. They were on scene within minutes.”
Bailey says the fire was fast moving and there was immediate concern that ammunition inside the pawn shop might explode. “The flames and smoke grew pretty fast, then a police officer asked everyone looking on from the parking lot of the BP and Hayes to move to a safe location. This was less than 15 minutes into it, and we left.”
Firefighters managed to contain the fire but flames continued to flare up late into the evening.
Habersham County Fire Chief Jeff Cain says approximately 50 firefighters, police and first responders were on the scene Saturday. Units from Baldwin, Cornelia, Habersham County, White County and Lee Arrendale State Prison responded to the scene along with Habersham EMS and police from multiple jurisdictions.
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