DOBSON — Two fires struck the same residence near Dobson in the early morning hours Monday, the second triggered by an explosion of unknown origin, officials say.
Surry County Fire Marshal Doug Jones investigated the incidents that led to the structure in the 600 block of White Dirt Road being declared a total loss and its occupants displaced, with the first occurring around 3:30 a.m. Monday.
Firefighters arrived at the scene, located off Zephyr Road west of the county seat, to find flames shooting through the roof.
The two residents of the home, identified as Jason White and his daughter, name not available, were able to safely evacuate the house, according to Jones and Chief Robert Cook of the Central Surry Volunteer Fire Department, the primary responder.
“I couldn’t tell exactly what caused it,” the fire marshal said of the blaze in the wood-frame structure described as one story with three bedrooms.
But Jones said nothing out of the ordinary was detected to indicate that the fire was suspicious in nature. He said it has been ruled as “accidentally undetermined.”
Fire personnel were called back to the scene about 6 a.m.
“A neighbor said she heard an explosion and the house was on fire again,” Jones said. “I don’t know what blew up — I didn’t really see anything.”
Jones said that similar to the first, the second incident, while mysterious, was also not found to be suspicious in nature. “We couldn’t find anything that happened on purpose,” he said.
“I didn’t find anything that would have exploded,” the fire marshal added. “It’s just strange — I don’t really know what happened.”
The two occupants of the home were not there at that time, Chief Cook said, having been assisted with obtaining temporary housing by the American Red Cross, which regularly aids displaced fire victims.
“The house was destroyed,” the fire marshal said.
Jones said Monday the investigation of both incidents is closed, despite the lingering question marks.
In addition to the Central Surry Volunteer Fire Department, members of the Mountain Park, Skull Camp and Pine Ridge volunteer units responded to the White Dirt Road location.
More than 30 firefighters were involved altogether, according to Cook.
Source: https://www.mtairynews.com
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