By Glenn Harbison
glenn@thenewsobserver.com
State lines don’t stop trouble from happening, and that seems to be the case with a rash of suspicious fires last week.
Fannin County firefighters responded to six fires in barely more than 24 hours Wednesday and Thursday, June 2 and 3. Three of the fires were in Fannin County and three in Cherokee County, North Carolina.
However, the North Carolina fires were just across the state line in the Wolf Creek area that joins the two counties, and occurred within minutes of one of the Fannin County fires.
According to the Wolf Creek Fire and Rescue Department Facebook page, the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office has issued a person of interest alert for Jeremy Lee Golden in connection with the North Carolina fires. Anyone with information regarding his whereabouts is asked to call the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office at 828-837-2521.
Fannin County Fire Chief Larry Thomas said Fannin units were first called to assist Wolf Creek firefighters Thursday at 1560 Johnsonville Road. That call had come in to the Wolf Creek department shortly after 7 p.m.
Wolf Creek firefighters had arrived to find a structure fully involved.
On the way to that fire, Fannin units were asked to help with another structure fire in the area of 45 Allen Circle.
Then, another fire was reported at 20229 West U.S. 64.
While some Fannin units were still helping in North Carolina, a fourth fire was called in on 1593 Wolf Creek Road in Fannin County.
All four fires happened within 45 minutes with approximately 12 to 15 minutes between fires, the Wolf Creek Facebook page said.
Law enforcement officers were called to the North Carolina scenes “due to reason to believe these fires were arson,” the Wolf Creek page said.
Thomas said the State Fire Marshal’s Office was investigating the Wolf Creek fire, which he said was of “suspicious” origin.
None of the structures in the Thursday night fires were occupied.
The previous day, Fannin County firefighters battled a pair of structure fires.
The first was reported at 3:49 p.m. Wednesday at a house owned by Randy Pittman just off Blue Ridge Drive in Blue Ridge, Thomas said.
Although the house was unoccupied, there was fear as many as two people could have been inside, as homeless individuals had been known to be there at times.
Firefighters were able to limit damage from the fire itself, but the house did suffer heavy smoke and water damage. No one was in the residence.
Two hours later, Fannin firefighters were called to a house on Kelly Ridge. It was not occupied at the time, however, the owners, who are currently in Alabama, were in the process of remodeling it, Thomas said.
Both the Wednesday fires have been ruled suspicious, and are being investigated, Thomas said.