Dateline: March 6, 2008

Fire destroys storage building, damages house

By Roger Estlack, Clarendon Enterprise

An accidental fire destroyed a storage building and damaged another structure in southwest Clarendon Saturday afternoon.

First Assistant Fire Chief Jeremy Powell said the blaze was started accidentally by a cutting torch and quickly spread through tall grass with south-southwest winds.

The fire moved across a neighbor’s property, destroyed a small storage building, and damaged a small house.

“We were able to save the second structure,” Powell said.

The Clarendon Volunteer Fire Department had the fire under control within an hour.

Powell said there is a moderate chance of an out-of-control wildfire with the current dry conditions, and he urged people to be careful.

“Make sure you have a clear work area when using any ignition source, such as a welder or cutting torch,” he said. “A fire right now will spread very rapidly.”

Powell also cautioned people to stay away from emergency scenes and let trained personnel do their jobs.

“You will get a ticket if you drive into or through an emergency scene or if you drive around a barricade,” he said. “We had trouble Saturday because everyone was driving around the scene, and it made it difficult to get our trucks in place.”

As a reminder, a county wide burn ban remains in effect.