Above: Piney Creek Volunteer Firemen battle a blaze at an outbuilding on Christmas Eve. No one was injured in the fire. The cause of the fire is being investigated. At left, Glade Creek Volunteer Firemen fight a woodshed fire.

Two holiday fires reported

Glade Creek Volunteer Firemen were called out Dec. 21 to extinguish a woodshed that had caught ablaze.

Two structure fires were reported over the holiday weekend, but only one residence was slightly damaged. The first fire, which was reported Dec. 21, damaged a woodshed; while a Christmas Eve fire was reported that damaged an outbuilding and a nearby home.

Spread ashes are to blame for a woodshed on the property of Glen Anthony’s 1821 Little Pine Rd. home becoming inflamed around 7 p.m. Dec. 21, according to Glade Creek Fire Chief David Higgins. The chief noted the determination was reached the following day.

“What we finally determined he (Anthony) had been burning some leaves not far from it (the woodshed) and some of the ashes had spread to the woodshed causing it to catch fire.”

Higgins added, “The woodshed had an open front door on it and the ashes got into the dry firewood that was being stored in the shed.” Higgins stated that although Anthony was at home at the time of the fire, credit for alerting the authorities to the matter goes to Anthony’s neighbor, Danny Higgins, who saw the fire. An estimate on damage to the woodshed remains undetermined, according to Higgins, who noted the focus of the damage was sustained in the front end of the wood shed.

About 12 Glade Creek volunteer firemen, along with two trucks, responded to the scene, where they stayed less than an hour.

The Alleghany County Sheriff’s Department requested a North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation probe following a Dec. 24 structure fire in Laurel Springs that left an outbuilding located at 2784 New Hope Church Road destroyed and a home damaged.

The home, owned by Norma and Jim Sigfried, was being rented by Jacob and Jennifer Saddler at the time of the fire.

Laurel Springs Fire Chief Hubert Wagoner stated in a brief phone interview Monday the fire started about 9:09 p.m. in a building adjacent to the home and spread to the house structure.

Although he could not determine exactly where the fire began, Laurel Springs Volunteer Fire Chief Hubert Wagoner did state the outbuilding “sustained the most damage and it is beyond repair.”

The cause of the fire remains under investigation, according to Wagoner, who added an estimation on damage was also unavailable because he is “not sure at this time what was in the building.”

According to information from the Alleghany Sheriff’s Department, the fire may have been either accidental or arson-related, with no clear indication which is the case at this time. Sheriff Mike Caudill said the matter currently is being investigated. He declined to comment further.

According to Wagoner, 15 or 16 Laurel Springs volunteer firemen and two trucks were on the scene and were assisted by 15 Piney Creek firemen and three trucks.

Members of the Alleghany Rescue Squad and the Alleghany Emergency Medical Services were also on the scene, where they stayed for less than an hour.

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