Firefighters battle back-to-back blazes

Gardendale firefighters extinguished two fires in two consecutive days this week.

Two fires back-to-back is a rare event according to Gardendale fire marshall Rick Smith.

Firefighters received a call on Thursday at around noon about a grass fire at 2864 North Road. Firefighters received another call en route that told them the fire had spread to the house.

Firefighters were able to get the flames under control and prevented any adjacent property damage, but the house’s interior was gutted by the fire, and the shed attached the back of the house, where the fire started, was completely destroyed. A car parked in the driveway was also damaged when it caught fire.

The owner of the house, Lou Weygand, said his grandson was the only person home when the fire started. Weygand said his grandson heard an explosion in the shed, saw the flames and called the fire department. The shed was made mostly of wood, and dry pine straw in the grass around the shed may have accelerated the fire, according to Smith.

Gardendale firefighters neutralized another fire the day before near the intersection of Crestridge Drive and Pinemeadow Drive. The fire started at the back of the house, but firefighters were able to put out the blaze before the residence was destroyed.

Nobody was injured in either fire.