Mariel Williams
editor@mitchellnews.com
Six volunteer fire departments worked together to extinguish a home that burned to the ground just off Humpback Mountain Road Friday, one of three separate unrelated incidents.
The home, standing near Blue Ridge Baptist Church, was reportedly uninhabited since Hurricane Helene struck Mitchell County in September.
Parkway Fire and Rescue Chief Kevin Hughes said that the firefighters who extinguished the blaze were already out fighting another fire near the Avery County line when the call came in to go to Humpback Mountain at 9:29 a.m.
The house was fully involved when firefighters arrived and quickly burned to the ground. The cause of the fire is still undetermined.
On Saturday, Spruce Pine Fire and Rescue firefighters responded to another house on fire on English Street around 5 p.m. Assistant Chief Bill Hoag said the residents of the home were not there at the time, and a neighbor called in the report.
“They saw smoke and they heard popping from inside,” Hoag said. “We arrived, extinguished the fire, (there was) extensive damage to the structure.”
Hoag said that while the exterior walls are still standing, it is unlikely the house can be salvaged.
“It was pretty much gutted,” he said.
Hoag noted that the multiple fires made for an unusual weekend in Mitchell emergency response.