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Bad month for house fires

By Meg Olson

Two substantial house fires kept local firefighters busier than usual last month.

On January 15 just before 1 p.m. local crews were called to a house fire on the corner of Province and Mill roads. Eight firefighters and the fire engine were on scene eight minutes later, said fire chief Bill Skinner. Delta fire department was put on standby for the incident but was not called to the scene.
The fire was quickly brought under control but had already caused substantial damage. “The fire was coming out all the front windows by then, it was pretty much gutted,” Skinner said.
Will Marshall with the county fire marshall’s office said their investigation found a chimney fire started the blaze – there were cracks in the lining of the chimney. No one was home at the time the fire moved from stove and chimney where it belonged to the rest of the house.

“They leave it burning all day – it’s their only source of heat,” Anderson explained. Damage is estimated at $120,000.

On January 20 just after 7 p.m. a fire was reported on Gulf Road at the home of the Sunny Point manager. Ten volunteer firefighters were on scene in 12 minutes and the fire was quickly controlled. Anderson said the cause of the fire was determined to be electrical. Damage is estimated at $25,000.