VALDOSTA —
The wind-whipped flames reached into the early morning sky, as neighbors said one minute, the house was fine, and the next, it was fully engulfed.
Valdosta’s oldest house, the Roberts House, was acquired by the Valdosta Heritage Foundation in the 1990s, and has since been the focus of a detailed restoration project aided by many donors. The architect who has overseen the project, Glenn Gregory, stood on the sidewalk Wednesday morning and watched his work go up in flames.
“We’ve spent all these many years ... it’s like losing a family member,” Gregory said.
The house had burned once before, years ago, and Gregory said the attic was charred when the Foundation began restoring it. “But that fire was nothing compared to this.”
Valdosta Fire Chief J.D. Rice said the fire began on the back southside of the structure in an interior room, and that 29 mile-per-hour winds (official reading at the airport at the time of the 911 call) pushed the flames quickly through the house.
“One of my guys was on his way to work this morning and saw smoke and called it in. We were already on the truck headed this way when the 911 dispatcher called us,” said Rice. “The house was already fully engulfed by the time we got here.”
Harry Hamm and his wife, Delia, live next door to the Roberts House, and he said the house was fine when he left for work, but that his wife called him five minutes later, at a few minutes before 8 a.m., and flames had already taken over.
Other neighbors gathered at the scene, all saying that the time between first noticing the smoke and seeing the house engulfed was only a couple of minutes at best.
Gregory said the house has a fire alarm, which alerted 911 at the same time as the first call from a neighbor came in, and also an intruder alarm, “so there’s no reason to think someone did this. There wasn’t anyone in the house.”
Hamm requested that as much of the antique furniture be salvaged as possible, and after the fire had subsided, Rice allowed his firefighters to go into the house. They retrieved tables, chairs, and a divan, along with smaller items, but all were water logged. Hamm was confident they could be restored, as he and Mayor John Fretti assisted in carrying the furniture to Hamm’s lawn.
“This is a very emotional day. The history and the heritage that we’re losing,” Fretti said. “I certainly hope professionals can salvage what’s left of the house but the wind just really made fighting this fire very difficult.”
Rice said the two-alarm fire involved more than 40 firefighters and eight trucks, including two ladder trucks. The firefighters took shifts fighting the blaze from all angles around the house, including from above, as two in the ladder truck kept two hoses trained down on the house in an effort to knock all the flames out. Several hours later, the house was a shell of its former self.
Rice said it will take several days for investigators to determine the exact cause of the fire.
Local News
Related Photos
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Fire breaks through the roof of the Roberts House Wednesday morning. Robert Kumpel
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Flames emerge from the back side of the Roberts House Wednesday morning. Paul Leavy
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Valdosta firefighters battle a Wednesday morning blaze that destroyed the historic Roberts House. Paul Leavy
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The rear of the historic Roberts House in Valdosta was destroyed by the fire that swept the structure Wednesday. Terry Richards
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Three firefighting teams spray water onto the Roberts House from all sides Wednesday morning. Paul Leavy
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A team of Valdosta firefighters battle the blaze through heavy smoke on the backside of the Roberts House Wednesday morning. Paul Leavy
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Smoke and fire erupt from the roof on the back of the Roberts House Wednesday morning as Valdosta firefighters spray water on the fire. Paul Leavy
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The ariel platform works on spraying water through the smoke and flames onto the turret of the Roberts home Wednesday morning. Paul Leavy
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Valdosta firefighters spray water around the turret of the Roberts House Wednesday morning. The historic building has been deemed a total loss due to fire damage. Paul Leavy
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Valdosta Mayor John Fretti and Harry Hamm carry an antique table to safety after it was recovered from the Roberts House by Valdosta firefighters. Paul Leavy
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A team of Valdosta firefighters battle the blaze on the back side of the Roberts House Wednesday morning. Paul Leavy
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The ariel platform works on spraying water through the smoke and flames and onto the turret of the Roberts House Wednesday morning. Paul Leavy
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Discussion
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