By Kathy Chaffin
kchaffin@salisburypost.com
CHINA GROVE ó A single-vehicle accident on Kimball Road started a chain reaction that led to a nearby house fire Wednesday afternoon .
Division Chief Art Delaney of the Landis Fire Department said the Landis and China Grove departments were responding to the 2:30 p.m. accident when someone yelled and said there was a house fire across the street. “And we had a working fire at that time,” he said.
The China Grove department went to the wreck scene, and the Landis department to the fire.
The people inside the residence, owned by Ray Chestnut of 1140 Kimball Road, were cooking on the stove when they heard the accident and ran across the road to the scene, he said, leaving a pan on the stove. Delaney said it took firefighters about a minute to put out the fire, which was right above the stove.
The vehicle struck a utility pole and a fire hydrant. The driver was transported by ambulance to NorthEast Medical Center in Concord. Delaney said a passenger refused transport.
Other fire departments responding to the scene were Atwell, Enochville and Kannapolis. The Rowan Rescue Squad and Rowan Emergency Medical Service also assisted at the scene.
Contact Kathy Chaffin at 704-797-4249.