Fire ripped through a vacant house around dusk Sunday night, toppling the already damaged 1912 structure.
The house, located at 271 Big John Lane, was known to be frequented by squatters, some whose tents were still visible as firefighters from multiple departments worked to bring the blaze under control.
Clinton Fire Chief Hagan Thornton said after both a primary and secondary search of the structure’s remains, no one appeared to be in the house at the time of the fire.
The call came in at 6:36 p.m. Sunday, and when Engine 22 firefighters arrived on scene, they saw the fire was heavily involved throughout the story-and-a-half single-family residence, with exposure concerns present on the back side of the property.
Thornton said due to the extent of the fire, crews initially conducted operations in a defensive mode to protect surrounding property and prevent further fire spread.
Dozens of spectators, some on trucks, others on golf carts, flanked the perimeter of the fire scene, watching as firefighters worked to bring the blaze under control.
The structure, surrounded by brush and trees, was off a winding dirt path just off U.S. 421, where onlookers made their way, accessing it from the parking lot between Grid Iron and the Sunbeam bread building.
Mayor Lew Starling arrived on scene shortly after firefighters and observed his crews and other volunteers hard at work. “They do an amazing job,” the mayor said. “I appreciate their dedication.”
Thornton said the Clinton department utilized its ladder truck — Ladder 21 — to conduct what he called “a large-scale exterior attack,” successfully knocking down the bulk of the fire.
Monday, the fire chief said that an investigation into the blaze was ongoing. He noted that the cause and origin of the fire had not yet been determined.
“We are going back out there today,” Thornton said. “We hope to have some answers soon.”
This is the second time the Big John Lane house has caught fire, with the first, around 2012 or 2013, being brought under control quickly enough that the structure received only minor damage.
Sunday’s fire, those on scene said, was just too much for the 114-year-old structure to withstand.
Firefighters from Halls, Salemburg, Herring, Turkey and Taylors Bridge provided mutual aid to Clinton departments during the fire, working well into Sunday evening.
“Their support and cooperation were instrumental in bringing the incident under control,” Thornton stressed.