Fires, Explosions Char Bartow Buildings, Home

Bartow County firefighters battled at least four blazes Tuesday, two of which included explosions and one that left a family homeless.

A family of four was displaced from its mobile home in Cartersville due to an electrical fire about 3:30 a.m., Battalion Chief David Levey said. The home at 16 Creek Drive was a total loss, Levey said, adding it's no longer livable and most of the family's belongings were destroyed.

The Northwest Georgia Chapter of the American Red Cross responded to make sure the family had access to shelter, food, clothing and more after the disaster, according to a post on its Facebook page.

Propone Tanks Pop in Acworth Outbuilding Fire

An outbuilding remaining from a previous fire was leveled in a Tuesday blaze about 8 a.m., Levy said. It contained propane tanks, which prompted "a lot" of reports of explosions in the area of Pine Ridge Lane, off Northpoint Parkway in Acworth, which is near the Cobb and Cherokee county lines.

Bartow County sheriff's deputies diverted traffic as crews battled the fire, according to an agency news release.

Sheriff Clark Millsap said in the release that "Bartow County 911 had dispatched fire units to the call of an outbuilding in flames and several reports of exploding propane tanks came in from the area." 

Levey said the cause of the blaze in the abandoned structure that had been used for storage is undetermined, but added officials are aware of many vagrants who frequent the area.

Fire Causes Explosions in White, Puts Homes in Danger

A blaze at L&L Industries in White before 4 p.m. caused explosions and created a grass fire that endangered several homes and other nearby structures, according to Levy.

L&L is a machining and metal fabrication business located at 500 Industrial Drive in White, according to its website. Its 5,000-square-foot storage building, which was near its 20,000-square-foot main facility, was a total loss due the blaze, the cause of which is undetermined, Levey said.

The storage building housed paints and solvents, which exploded and spurred a grass and woods fire that endangered several homes adjacent to East Rocky Street in the city of White, but firefighters were able to contain the blaze, Levey said.

Winds Reignite Controlled Burn Near Kingston

Bartow firefighters Tuesday also battled and contained a wild land fire likely caused by windy weather.

What was a controlled burn Monday at a residence off Hardin Bridge Road reignited—likely due to the relatively low humidity and high winds—and burned 5 acres Tuesday, Levey said.

"The wind works against us," he said. "With the wild land fire, of course, low humidity causes dry conditions and the wind spreads the fire.

"With structures, it's like a blow furnace."

No injuries were reported in any of the blazes and no firefighters were hurt battling them.

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