It’s been a busy few days for firefighters in White County. In the past five days, they’ve responded to four separate structure fires. The fires destroyed buildings and vehicles, but there were no reports of any injuries.
Two fires before dawn Monday
Two of the fires broke out on Monday, Nov. 27. The first one, just after midnight near the 1700 block of Holiness Campground Road in Cleveland.
911 callers reported the flames were visible and coming from the office building adjacent to a local sawmill. When firefighters arrived, they found an office building and an adjacent truck on fire, says White County Public Information Officer Bryce Barrett.
Barrett says the fire was quickly contained, and firefighters prevented it from spreading to two nearby structures.
The Georgia State Fire Marshal’s Office is investigating the cause of the fire.
Several hours later, at 3:30 a.m. Monday, White County Fire Services responded to a residential fire in the area of Hugh Self Road in Cleveland.
When firefighters got to the home, they found the fire was mostly contained to the chimney. Crews extinguished the flames and remained on the scene to check for hotspots and prevent the fire from reigniting.
Fires over Thanksgiving
Monday’s fires followed two others that occurred in White County over the long Thanksgiving holiday weekend.
At 9 a.m. on Thanksgiving day, White County and Cleveland firefighters responded to a residential fire in the 100 block of Emerald Heights Circle.
“Upon arrival, fire personnel found a two-story structure with smoke coming out from under the eaves,” says Barrett.
Firefighters contained the fire to one room, but the house sustained significant smoke damage. The cause of the fire is currently under investigation.
On Sunday, Nov. 26, firefighters responded to a morning blaze that destroyed a mobile home in the area of Lewis Drive off of Duncan Bridge Road in Cleveland.
By the time firefighters arrived, the residence was already fully involved and a brush fire was quickly spreading behind the residence.
“Firefighting efforts focused towards combating the fast-moving brush fire,” says Barrett.
The Helen Fire Department responded with mutual aid. The Georgia Forestry also responded due to the extent of the brush fire.
Fire personnel saved five dogs from a burning pen and quickly contained the brush fire. The mobile home was a total loss.
