By Jessie Burchette
jburchette@salisburypost.com
A series of fires during the coldest spell in years kept fire departments busy Friday and Saturday.
The range of fires ran from a mobile home damaged when the owner attempted to thaw pipes with a propane torch to another mobile home destroyed when a grass fire spread under it.
And a garage and shop burned on St. Luke’s Church Road Friday night.
Around 1:30 p.m. Saturday, West Rowan firefighters responded to a report that a grass fire was threatening a home at 2275 Bradshaw Road.
Assistant Fire Chief Andy Russell said firefighters encountered heavy smoke, with wind whipping the smoke and the grass fire which covered an area roughly 100 feet by 100 feet.
The fire rolled under a singlewide mobile home and set it afire.
Russell said the occupant, an elderly man, was present, but was not in the home.
Once in the bottom of the trailer, the fire spread quickly.
Firefighters had to virtually dismantle the trailer to extinguish the fire.
Atwell, Locke, Shepherds and South Iredell provided assistance along with the Rowan Rescue Squad, which refilled air packs.
About the same time, Cleveland, other firefighters and the N.C. Forest Service responded to a grass fire on at 2129 Old U.S. 70.
Reports indicated the fire covered more than half an acre.
Liberty and Rockwell Rural firefighters also stayed busy Friday night.
A two-bay garage and shop at 2285 St. Luke’s Church Road caught fire around 10:30 p.m.
Chief Darren Trexler said the owner, Richard File Jr., had removed a couple of tractors before firefighters arrived to find the building totally engulfed in flames.
Trexler said the building was totally destroyed.
The cause remained under investigation Saturday, but initial findings pointed to disposal of ashes.
Union, Rockwell Rural and the Rowan Rescue Squad assisted.
Prior to assisting Liberty with the garage fire, Rockwell Rural extinguished hot spots in a mobile home blaze at 5645 Faith Road.
Chief Allen Cress said the owner attempted to thaw frozen pipes with a small torch. The owner’s name was not immediately available.
The damage was confined to the underside of the trailer with a bedroom floor sustaining the worst of it.
Cress said the home is inhabitable. But with electricity cut off Friday night, the couple opted to stay with relatives.
Earlier Friday evening, Rockwell Rural also responded to a chimney fire at 780 Coley Road. Damage was minor.
Contact Jessie Burchette at 704-797-4254.