Information from WYSH Radio
No one was injured, but a house on Patt Lane in Claxton was said to be a total loss after a fire on Saturday night.
An Anderson County Sheriff’s Department deputy responded to the scene and reported that the entire roof of the home was engulfed by flames and that the fire was rapidly spreading to the second floor of the structure. He also discovered the homeowner attempting to fight the fire with a water hose, and the tenant—the owner’s son—removing personal items from the burning home. Deputy Tyler Culver reported that he had to remove the younger man from the house twice as he tried to save items even as the fire spread.
Despite the best efforts of firefighters from the Claxton Volunteer Fire Department and Rural Metro, all that was left standing of the home was a pair of brick chimneys. Firefighters said that the blaze appeared to have begun in the attic, and the tenant told deputies that neither fireplace was in use at the time of the fire, and that due to ongoing renovations, he had been using electric and propane heaters as his primary heat sources. Firefighters found no traces of any accelerant or any other evidence of arson, but the exact cause of the fire is under investigation.
The homeowner did not have insurance on the property.
A few hours later, a fire early Sunday on Pelican Lane in Claxton destroyed a house.
Sheriff’s deputies responded to the home at around 12:30 a.m. and reported that it was already halfway engulfed by flames upon his arrival. The homeowner and resident was outside the home when the deputy arrived, and he said he had made it out with some extra clothing before calling 911. He said that he had been drinking in his living room when he apparently fell asleep while smoking a cigarette.
He told deputies that when he woke up, his living room was on fire.
The Claxton Volunteer Fire Department extinguished the blaze, but the house was labeled a total loss.
No injuries were reported.
WYSH Radio in Clinton is an Oak Ridge Today news partner.
More information will be added as it becomes available.
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