By By ROBERT BLANKENSHIP
Advance Managing Editor
The Atmore Fire Department is looking into two fires that occurred almost within one hour of each other.
On Saturday, April 28, at 2:09 a.m., firefighters responded to a vehicle fire on West Nashville Avenue and Carney Street. The vehicle had been undergoing transmission work and was parked at Atmore Quality Used Car lot.
When firefighters arrived on the scene, the trunk area was ignited. The fire was put out with little trouble said Fire Chief Gerry McGhee.
About one hour later, at 3:11 a.m., firefighters responded to a vacant building on Nashville Avenue where a building, formerly known as Nancy's Hair Cottage, was burning.
The building, which belongs to Glen Dreadin of Huxford, was a total loss.
It took 12 firefighters and three volunteers to extinquish the blaze.
The building had no electricity.
McGhee said the timing of the fires and other circumstances make the fires look suspicious.
The Alabama Fire Marshal's Office has been contacted and will be investigating the fire along with the AFD.
Because the building was an older structure, it burned very quickly. But, McGhee said his firefighters did a good job in putting it out.
Those fires were just part of a very busy weekend for the AFD.
At 8:15 p.m., on April 28, firefighters responded to Rockaway Creek Road to extinguish a woods fire. Firefighters called in the Forestry Department who plowed around the fire, eventually burning itself out.
Three volunteers were called to assist with the fire.
About one hour later, at 9:25, firefighters responded to an accident on Medical Park Drive where they used the "jaws of life" to retrieve victims stuck inside a wrecked vehicle. The victims were transported to Atmore Community Hospital for treatment.
At 11:01 a.m., April 29, firefighters responded to 185 Broad Street to a house fire. The house was vacant and firefighters had to cut locks in order to get inside a fence. The building was totalled.
A house next to the burning building was damaged as the heat from the blaze melted the vinyl siding.
In all, firefighters were on the scene for two hours.
The fire marshal's office was contacted to investigate this fire as well.
On April 29, at 7 p.m., firefighters responded to a grass fire on East Laurel Street. The fire was extinquished with little problem.