By Shavonne Potts
Salisbury Post
SPENCER ó It’s too soon for fire officials to determine the cause of a Tuesday night fire at a West 17th Street home, fire officials said.
Spencer Fire Chief Jay Baker said firefighters were called to the home at 213 W. 17th St. No one was home at the time of the fire. Firefighters searched the home and confirmed no one was inside.
“Investigators are still gathering information,” Baker said.
The fire occurred around 9:25 p.m. When fire officials arrived, the fire had consumed about 25 percent of the home.
Baker said Tuesday night that he didn’t go inside the home himself and could not give an assessment of the damage.
There was no damage to any other homes nearby.
Bradford Garrigues, who lives next door, learned about the fire from a co-worker at Starbucks, who thought his house was on fire. The co-worker also lives in the Spencer neighborhood.
Garrigues tried to call his wife, Sarah, to check on her. She, meanwhile, didn’t immediately know there was a fire. When he finally reached her, she said she had heard a popping noise outside and thought someone was shooting.
Firefighters doused the Garrigues’ home to protect it from the heat. It was not damaged. Garrigues said he and his wife have only lived in the neighborhood since December. He and his wife had not met the neighbors whose home burned.
In addition to the Spencer Fire Department, the Salisbury and Ellis Cross Country fire departments, Rowan Rescue Squad and Spencer Police Department also responded.