MT. WEISNER COMMUNITY– A structure fire at an abandoned home raised wildfire concerns late Friday morning in Cherokee County.

Cherokee County 911 dispatched firefighters shortly after 11:15 a.m. The fire occurred in the 2000 block of County Road 32.

Some departments initially paged did not have personnel available to respond. Firefighters from Centre, Ellisville, Ball Play Bend and Leesburg responded through mutual aid.

The Cherokee County Emergency Management Agency also responded. Atrium Floyd EMS and Cherokee Electric assisted at the scene.

Fire Threatens Overgrown Property

A nearby witness said the abandoned home had not been occupied in many years. Dense vegetation surrounded the structure and covered much of the property.

The vegetation began catching fire as flames spread from the home. Therefore, crews focused on containing the fire and preventing it from spreading farther.

Centre Fire was the first department on the scene. Firefighters began applying water to the structure from Engine 9 as WEIS arrived.

Additional departments soon arrived with tankers and woods trucks. Crews had to shuttle water in tankers from nearby fire hydrants to support the operation.

Forestry was also notified in case the fire continued spreading.

Limited Access Challenges Firefighters

The home was fully involved when firefighters arrived. Trees, brush, and nearby structures limited access to the rear of the home. Those conditions made the fire more difficult to extinguish.

Firefighters remained at the scene working to contain the fire at the time of publication.

The cause remains unknown. The fire will be investigated.