2nd fire totals home; fire marshal to investigate

Published 9:06 am Friday, September 1, 2017

The Wagon Wheel Road home that caught fire Wednesday caught fire again Thursday afternoon, and was a total loss, Gantt Area Fire and Rescue Chief Scott Fight said.

“We turned the circuit breaker off yesterday when we were putting out the fire, as typical protocol,” Fight said. “Some time since we left the home yesterday, somebody came and turned the breaker back on and by the time we got here this time the entire home was engulfed in flames.”

The singlewide mobile home burned entirely to the ground.

There is no lead on who turned the breaker back on, but the state fire marshal’s office will investigate, he said.

“The good thing is now we know the fire yesterday was likely caused by circuit issues,” Fight said.

The occupant of the home was not present, and the people in the area said that they had noticed strange men lurking around last night.

“Locals of the area said that they saw strange men in the area last night,” Fight said. “That is just hearsay, but it’s a start.”

Anyone with information is asked to contact the state fire marshal’s office at 1-800-654-0775.