The resident of a home on Blue Ridge Lake escaped just moments before a fire that erupted on the exterior consumed the entire house, but two firefighters battling the blaze were transported to the hospital.
Fannin County Fire Chief Larry Thomas said the resident, who he did not identify, was inside the home when he heard a popping noise outside. He believed the noise to be footsteps.
The resident went outside and around to the back of the home, which faced the lake, where the exterior was totally involved in flames. He returned to the front door and attempted to re-enter the home to recover personal items.
By then, the fire had blown out exterior windows and was consuming the inside of the home. “That’s how fast the fire was moving,” Thomas said.
Fannin County firefighters were on the scene within seven minutes of being dispatched to the home, located at 90 Pine Point Drive just off Dry Branch Road. They remained on the scene for almost six hours, arriving just before 3 p.m. Wednesday, July 26, and leaving just before 9 p.m.
During those hours, Thomas estimated firefighters fought extreme heat ranging from 130 to 140 degrees that was created by the air temperature itself, the heat generated from the fire and the amount of gear firefighters wore.
Two firefighters were transported to Blue Ridge Medical Center, one suffering from possible heat exhaustion and one from an injury to his right arm. Both were treated and released, Thomas said.
One photo taken at the scene shows a firefighter laying down with a bottle of water in his hand, having to cool off from battling the blaze.
Fire department Training Chief Michael Cornelius said, “You may see one laying down here on the ground, but there are several others who were also laying down or working to recover from the extreme heat in other ways.”
Despite the close proximity of the house two a garage and two other houses, neither of the other houses suffered any damage. A small section of guttering was melted on the garage.
The garage was only about six feet from the burning house, while the other two houses were estimated at between 25 and 40 feet away.
Firefighters pulled a vehicle away from the fire and neighbors removed the homeowner’s boat from its dock.
Thomas said there were extensive ash debris in a large area around the scene, as far away as Dry Branch Road. These came from cedar shingles that Thomas said burn quickly and produce light debris. He said they may have been the reason for some reports an explosion had occurred. Those reports, however, were false.
After firefighters left the scene, an every-two-hour fire check was ordered on the remains of the structure because materials in the basement continued to smolder.
Thomas identified the owner of the residence as Bram Wieskopf.
The fire chief said the cause of the blaze has been ruled accidental by the state fire marshal’s office.