Atoah – The Graham County 911 Center received a report of a structure fire at 285 Atoah Circle at 10:41 a.m., Feb. 12. Members from Graham County Fire and Rescue – as well as units from Snowbird, Santeetlah, Meadow Branch, N.C. Forest Service and EMS – all responded to the scene.
On his way to answer the call, firefighter Nathan Stewart reported that a large amount of smoke was visible from the old Stanley Furniture plant. EMS member Troy Grindstaff was first to arrive at the home of Jimmy and Lela Hyde, and found it fully engulfed by the fire. Firefighters were hampered by downed, live powerlines across the driveway and had to lay firehose from Hoot Owl Hollow to attack the fire.
The family stated that they heard what sounded like an explosion; and almost immediately, the ceiling was burning. The family added that they barely made it outside before the home was engulfed.
Firefighters remained on the scene until shortly after 1 p.m. The home was deemed a total loss.