Barrow County Emergency Services were kept busy over Super Bowl weekend by a series of structure and vehicle fires throughout the county, two of which were determined to be intentional human acts according to a Sunday afternoon press release.
The first fire ruled intentional was just before 6:30 p.m. Saturday in a single-wide trailer on Groveland Drive in Winder. Lt. Scott Dakin said the trailer was fully involved in flames and crews stopped the fire from spreading to other buildings then extinguished the structure fire itself. Officials said the trailer was being used for storage and no one was inside at the time of the fire.The fire is being investigated by the Barrow County Fire Investigation Team and the county Sheriff's Office.
Just after midnight Sunday, another house fire was reported on Etheridge Road in Auburn. Dakin said the home was fully involved when crews arrived and was completely destroyed in the blaze. That fire was also ruled an intentional human act and is under investigation. No one was in the home at the time.
The first fire of the weekend was at a home on Independence Ct north of Winder at around 5:30 p.m. Friday. Dakin said officials found only smoke upon arrival and the fire was apparantly extinguished before crews arrived. Officials determined the fire was in the attic of the house and appeared to be an electrical issue. Another house fire Friday night happened around 10:00 on Englewood Road near Auburn. Crews found fire and smoke coming from a corner of the home and were able to quickly extinguish it. No one was home at the time of the fire and the cause is still under investigation.
Emergency services recieved another 911 call around 10:00 a.m. Saturday to a pickup truck on fire on Carl-Cedar Hill Road near Auburn. Skinner said officials found fire in the engine compartment extending into the cab of the truck. The fire was put out and determined to caused by mechanical problems.
Officials recieved one more call just after 5:00 a.m. Sunday to a house on Dunahoo Road near Winder. The caller had seen smoke coming from the building and couldn't identify the origin of the smoke. Crews found smoldering in the ceiling above the home's fireplace. Dakin advised citizens to make sure they maintain their fireplaces to make sure they are in working order.
