VALDOSTA —
It required four fire engines, one fitted with an aerial ladder, to contain a structure fire in a thrift store in the 2200 block of Bemiss Road an hour past lunchtime on Wednesday, but no injuries were reported as a result of the store's flames.
The store, Carroll's Corner Thrift Shop, had been advertising its availability for lease on a sign out front and it’s unclear whether anyone was inside at the time of the fire. While firefighters were hauling furniture out of the store to eliminate one of the fire’s fuel sources, contract driver Kermit Chandler was called in to evacuate vehicles from the tar and soot of the neighboring fire.
“We're worried about smoke damage, but no cars appear to have suffered any significant damage at this point,” said Chandler.
“Valdosta's fire and police departments did a superb job in reacting to this fire so fast.”
The fire appeared to be concentrated in the rear of the building. Beams of light could be observed spotlighting charred goods in the back half of the building, but fire officials couldn't immediately report on the extent of the fire's destruction or it's possible point of origin. The VFD is investigating the cause of the fire.
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The Valdosta Fire Department responded to a structure fire at the 2200 block of Bemiss Road around 1:30 p.m. Wednesday. Brandon Powers
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Fire on Bemiss
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