Flames rage as a structure fire consumes the home of Matthew and Kathy Martin on Cranford Knoll in Ennice. The cause of the fire was unknown as of presstime Tuesday.

Late night fire destroys Ennice residence

An Ennice home, located at 253 Cranford Knoll, was destroyed in a Jan. 25 structure fire.

The home was owned by Grady Cranford and rented by Matthew and Kathy Martin.

All of the Martin’s belongings were destroyed in the fire. The value of the home’s contents was estimated at $15,000, according to Chief David Higgins of the Glade Creek Volunteer Fire Department. Meanwhile, Higgins estimated the damage to the home at $40,000.

The cause of the fire, which was reported at 11:11 p.m. by a neighbor, is still undetermined.Glade Creek firemen were dispatched at 11:17 p.m. “We don’t know what happened,” Higgins said during a phone interview Monday. “The house didn’t have any power or any heat at the time.

“It was burned so bad at the back end of the house that we couldn’t tell what started the fire,” Higgins added. Due to the uncertainty, the Alleghany County Sheriff’s Department was called in to investi

Firemen attack the blaze through a window in front of the house as Fire

Above left: Chief David Higgins (right) directs activity on the scene.

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