Rabun County fire investigators are working to determine the cause of three structure fires that broke out Sunday and Monday.
According to assistant county fire chief Justin Upchurch, the first fire broke out Sunday, May 23, in the Vista Ridge apartment complex at 137 Marsen Knob Drive. Three stations responded to the initial alarm after a 911 caller reported vehicles in the woods and the house were on fire.
Firefighters fought back the flames, but the fire quickly consumed the 1600-square-foot single-family structure. When it breached the roof, Upchurch says crews were backed out to maintain a defensive attack and keep the fire from spreading. Three more stations were called in to help, including the Otto, North Carolina, Fire Department.
After 45 minutes, they brought the blaze under control. Firefighters remained on the scene for nearly four hours.
“The cause of the fire is currently under investigation,” says Upchurch. Fortunately, no one was injured. He says there was no one home at the time of the fire. The Red Cross is assisting the displaced residents.
Less than 24 hours later, Rabun County Fire Services responded to another house fire, this time in Mountain City.
According to a press release, the fire at 354 Electric Avenue started in a void space in the attic area. It was extinguished “quickly,” says the assistant chief, adding, the unoccupied dwelling appeared to be going through a remodel. The house sustained moderate heat and water damage.
Three-and-a-half hours later, around 8:25 p.m. Monday, Rabun firefighters and the Otto Fire Department were dispatched to a structure fire at 563 Shadow Mountain Drive in the Wynngate subdivision off Ledford Road in Dillard. They arrived to find a deck fire that the homeowner had mostly extinguished. “The fire appeared to have started below the deck with the cause being undetermined at this time,” says Upchurch. The main part of the house did not sustain any damage.
Upchurch tells Now Habersham the fires appear to be isolated incidents stating there’s “Nothing connected that we know of.”
