THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, September 10, 1996 TAG: 9609100289
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B3 EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA
SOURCE: BY ANNE SAITA, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: 40 lines
Investigators suspect an electrical short-circuit sparked a fire that heavily damaged buildings in downtown Aulander, wiping out about one-third of the Bertie County town's commercial district.
``This is a really small town, and something like this really takes a whole lot away,'' said Aulander Volunteer Fire Department Chief Tim Ingram.
Ingram, 33, added that this was the worst fire in the history of Aulander, which has a population of just more than 1,200.
No one was hurt in the Sunday evening blaze, which damaged four connected brick buildings and destroyed a fifth.
Young's Variety Store, a second-hand goods store, was burned ``beyond recognition,'' while a television repair shop and a two-store farm supply and gas business sustained substantial smoke and water damage, Ingram said Monday afternoon.
Aulander police Officer Donnie Thompson said late Sunday that at one point authorities were worried about a possible explosion but then determined that the farm supply store had no propane.
The fire was discovered about 7 p.m. by customers at a convenience store across the street. A drug store, cafe and car dealership also across Main Street make up the town's downtown commercial district.
The buildings, believed to have been erected around the turn of the century, were owned by Joe Young of Woodland.
Six volunteer fire departments that included about 125 firefighters responded to the blaze, which took a couple of hours to bring under control. The fire was extinguished about two hours after that, Ingram said.
``We were really surprised that as many did show up, but the departments around here are really cooperative,'' the fire chief said.
No property damage estimate was available Monday, and arson was not suspected, Ingram said.
Thompson said investigators do not have an official cause of the fire but suspect there may have been a short-circuit. MEMO: The Associated Press contributed to this report. by CNB