By Kathy Chaffin
kchaffin@salisburypost.com
FAITH ó A residence on Sweet Gum Lane near here was damaged Wednesday by an electrical fire that started in the floor of the living room.
Kevin Holshouser, assistant Rowan County fire marshal and assistant chief of the Rockwell Rural Fire Department, said homeowners Jan and Randy Guillory called the Rowan 911 Center at 4:15 p.m. when they started smelling smoke in the house.
Part of the fire had started burning through the bottom of the floor when firefighters arrived on the scene. “They were able to knock it down quickly,” Holshouser said, “but (the rest) being concealed inside the floor, it took us a while to cut out the floor and put it out.
“The homeowners were just lucky that they were home because if they had not been, I’m sure the fire would have progressed and caused a lot more damage.”
The Guillorys grabbed their pets and a few belongings on their way out of the house.
Holshouser said the damage to their residence was extensive. “It’s going to have to have some work done on it,” he said. “It’s uninhabitable at this time.”
About 25 firefighters from Rockwell Rural, Bostian Heights, Faith and Granite Quarry responded to the scene. “Everybody did a great job,” Holshouser said.