BALDWIN — The fire that destroyed Diamond Jewelry & Pawn on Ga. 365 in Baldwin Saturday has been ruled accidental.
The fire "appears to have started in the front entrance of the store, in the area of the store sign and light cans," said Glenn Allen, spokesman for the state fire marshal's office. "High winds helped to fuel the flames."
State, federal and local officials and investigators remained on scene until 5:30 p.m. Sunday going over the scene.
The business, owned by Steve Diamond, suffered extensive damage in the fire that was reported around 5 p.m. Saturday.
The lengthy firefighting effort also shut down Ga. 365 in both directions for more than five hours as firefighters utilized a hydrant in front of Patrol Upfitters on the southbound side of the highway.
Personnel and equipment from five departments responded, remaining on scene until early Sunday.
Baldwin Mayor Jerry Neace said firefighters used some 660,000 gallons of water battling the blaze, noting he appreciated help from the City of Cornelia's water department.
