The historic Cullom house at 427 North Main Street quickly burned to the ground the night of March 25-26. Its new owners were in the process of restoring it to its original exterior with interior improvements
Wake Forest Fire Department Chief Ron Early said this week the cause of the fire is under investigation because of the speed and ferocity of the fire, which was well advanced when fire trucks arrived four minutes after the call.
“We don’t know why it got that advanced so fast. The investigators should be able to provide more information. We do know that by the time we arrived, the fire had reached its peak of amount of material to burn. This is why we have a vehicle with melted lights. It was unusual and unexpected to be that advanced and hot. This is that rare incident especially in the town,” Early said in an email.
The fire melted siding on a neighboring house and as well as some light fixtures in an outside doorway, Early said.
“One of our trucks had about eight lights melted and some glass broke from the heat. The neighbor’s homes were fortunate that we arrived at that moment to prevent another house from burning. It was minutes away from having two other houses to start burning.”
Engine #1 and Ladder #1, both from Station #1 on Elm Avenue, were the first equipment at the fire and were quickly joined by Engine#2 and Engine #3 in pouring water on the house in flames and the neighboring houses. Engine #5 was also at the scene as well as units from Rolesville an Stony Hill. One firefighter was injured but was released from the hospital early Thursday morning.
The Gazette has heard one report that an explosion rocked nearby houses and started the fire throughout the house.
The owner, David White, and his fiancé, Shelley McPhatter, purchased the house in mid-2013 after it had sat empty or briefly rented for several years. They had already rebuilt the roof to its original shape – after a serious fire in the early 1970s the then-owners replaced the peaked roof with a flat one – and were in the process of rebuilding the front porch to its original dimensions. Early said work in the interior had not progressed to the point of sheetrock on the walls. When complete, it would have been almost exactly like the Royall-Luddy house a block away.
One Response
Carol, I was in my kitchen that night and heard what I thought was a car hitting a utility pole, but no lights flickered. In a few minutes, I heard the sirens and saw the fire trucks. I, of course, have no idea if what I heard had anything to do with the fire. But what a shame about the house.
Carol