August fire remains under investigation
By Jack Stephens
Published in News on September 19, 2005 1:46 PM
Four residential fires were among the 179 calls that the Goldsboro Fire Department answered in August. A fire that destroyed a vacant home at 1117 Olivia Lane remains under investigation by police.
"We believe the fire was set by human hands," police Sgt. David Kelly said last week. "We sent samples off to the SBI lab for analysis and are waiting for the results to come back to determine if an accelerant were used."
At this point, Kelly said, police do not know if the Aug. 5 fire was accidental or intentional. If an accelerant were found, Kelly said, then it would be classified as a set fire. The home was valued at $30,000.
Fire Chief Bobby Greenfield said excessive heat from the fire caused another $2,500 in damages to a next-door home at 1119 Olivia Lane. The home was valued at $50,000.
A kitchen fire on Aug. 25 resulted in an estimated $60,000 in damages to a home at 2006 Glenhaven Lane. Damage was set at $40,000 to the home, valued at $95,000, and $20,000 to contents that were worth $30,000.
A neighbor had come to James Davis' home to borrow a hoe, fire officials said, and Davis had thought he had turned off his stove. Instead, he had turned it on wide open. When he returned, he saw the fire, but his cell phone would not work. When firefighters arrived, they saw flames leaping out of a window.
A predawn fire on Aug. 8 at 1800 Palm St. was caused by ashes left in a trash can from the night before, officials said. The fire spread quickly up an outside wall and entered the attic. Damage was estimated at $8,000 to Frank Aanenson's home and $1,500 to its contents. The home was valued at $71,500 and $30,000 to contents.
A cigarette left in a bedroom couch ignited a predawn fire Aug. 12 at an apartment at 910-A S. Audubon Ave., officials said. The occupant, Precious O. Harper, was moving and had removed most of the furniture.
When firefighters arrived, they saw light smoke coming from the eaves and quickly extinguished the fire. Damage was estimated at $6,000 to the apartment and $1,000 to contents. The six-unit Goldsboro Housing Authority building was valued at $300,000.
Department personnel took part in 458 hours of company training and 1,963 hours of individual training during August, Greenfield wrote in his monthly report.
Department training was held in sprinklers and methodology. Company training was held in high-angle rescue, snorkel operations, fire behavior, emergency vehicle driving, engine company drills, search techniques, extrication tactics, friction loss, pre-planning, street locations, fire locations, ladders, knots and salvage.
The department also participated in six fire prevention activities in August.