‘The Store’ destroyed in fire
Published 12:11 am Wednesday, November 18, 2009
A fire completely destroyed a Gantt Lake fixture Monday night.
“The Store” was fully engulfed in flames by the time law enforcement and fire personnel arrived on scene, said Gantt Police Chief Chris Byrd.
“Gantt officers were the first on the scene after the call, which came in shortly before 10 p.m., in report of a structure fire on Hamner Road near the Valley of Shiloh area of Gantt,” he said. “Upon arrival, they found the home/business fully engulfed. The business area of the home housed some very large fuel tanks, which were of great concern to us; however, members with the Gantt Volunteer Fire Department were able to get a line in to put out those flames closest to the tanks.”
The property, which is owned by Donna Parks and Michael “Mikey” Jackson Sr., was deemed a complete loss. The front portion of the property served as the couple’s lake home, while the back half was known for providing boaters and fisherman gasoline and such while enjoying the waters of the lake. No one was injured or present when the fire began.
The cause of the blaze is unknown, and the incident remains under investigation.
The fire also caused other Hamner Road residents to be without power for “a few hours” after the blaze, but power was restored before the early morning hours.
Agencies responding to the incident were the GPD, the GVFD, the Covington County Sheriff’s Department and the River Falls Volunteer Fire Department.