FIRE — A house on Foxfire Road (above) burns during the night of July 11. The house, which was unoccupied, was fully engulfed in flames shortly after the call went out around 10:40 p.m.

Fire destroys vacant residence

A nighttime blaze July 11 destroyed a house on Foxfire Road. The structure, formerly used as a residence, was unoccupied at the time of the fire and no one was injured, according to Cherry Lane Volunteer Fire Department Chief Kenneth Miles.

The cause of the blaze has yet to be determined, Miles said. Alleghany County Sheriff Mike Caudill said Monday that his department is investigating the cause of the fire, which started at about 10:40 p.m. Monetary damage to the house was not yet determined. Miles said the house was fully furnished and was a total loss.

The last known owner was Roger Andrews. No one had lived there for several months, Miles added.

Early reports from the scene indicated there was ammunition in the house. However, he said, "It was nothing major, just a small amount of ammunition."

Built in the 1950s, the building had two roofs. "That was one of the things that hinders getting it (the fire) out," said Miles. The Cherry Lane department responded with all five of its trucks and 15 firefighters. Sparta assisted with two trucks and six personnel. The trucks themselves were on the scene for six hours, Miles said, with some personnel remaining beyond that.

Two members of the N.C. Forestry Service also responded, as the fire was reported to have spread into the woods. Ranger Michael Choate said brush damage was less than one-tenth acre, primarily around the edge of the house. The Alleghany County Rescue Squad was also on the scene. Miles was especially grateful to all the firemen who assisted. "Cherry Lane is usually pretty calm, we don't have a lot of structure fires," he remarked.

In the photo above left, firefighters from Cherry Lane and Sparta try to battle the blaze. The house had a ‘for sale' sign posted in front. The Alleghany County Sheriff's Department is investigating the fire.

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