Explosions woke up Eagle Point residents early this morning… who tell us the entire landscape was lit up as if by the sun. It all happened as one of their neighbors lost, what officials believe to be, nearly 200 thousand dollars worth of property… to fire.
“That’s what it sounded like:Boom! Boom!” says Eagle Point resident Kim Keaton who awoke to the loud boom of her neighbor’s barn going up in 20 foot high flames just after 6 this morning.Paint and propane tanks exploding. “I heard lots of booms and when the electrical box went off it looked like a 4th of july sparkler.” Flames through the roof and out the doors.
Fire fighters from Jackson County Fire District 3 rushed in, but they quickly decided… there was no chance. “Once it’s on fire there’s no point going in,” says Battalion Chief Rod Edwards.
The flames reaching so high they singed power lines. “We had a little power line problem we had to take care of,” says Edwards.
“Within 5 minutes the whole top was engulfed, and within 15 there wasn’t anything but the walls,” Keaton tells us. Leaving her fearful for her neighbor.
“I thought the guy and his kids were in the barn,” she says.
Thankfully, no one was in inside, but fire investigators tell us the landowner — who declined to speak with us — lost up to 200 thousand dollars in property. “This was also business and had a lot of tools involved,” says Deputy Fire Marshal Mark Northrop.
Hours later, with the sun up… the fire continued to smolder. “A terrible way to start your holiday, but no deaths so that’s good,” comments Keaton. She’s still overwhelmed by the ferocity of fire. “It’s amazing how fast it went down. What a way to wake up in the morning.”
The cause of the fire is currently being investigated. The Fire Marshal tells us, at this point, it does not appear to be arson.
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