Published: June 17, 2009 10:01 am      

House fire on Gordon Hill

Returning power after Tuesday's storm may have been responsible

By Samantha Swindler / Managing Editor

A house fire on Gordon Hill in Corbin may have been started when damaged electric lines returned to power after Tuesday evening's storm.

The fire was spotted by Melissa Sullivan, Amanda Rose and Dawn Davidson, who were driving around Corbin after the storm taking pictures of damage for a Lexington TV station.

"We wouldn't have seen it if we weren't looking for damage," Sullivan said.

At first, Sullivan thought the smoke was coming from a fireplace, but when she pulled over and opened the car door, she knew that wasn't the case.

"My cousin is a firefighter for Corbin, so I kind of know the smell (of a house fire,)" she said.

Nearby neighbor Lynn Frye said the home belongs to the Popejoys, who were not home at the time. She was outside talking to neighbors Sarah Powers and Bridgette Garrett when she noticed the smoke.

"I was outside and I just seen steam coming off the house, and we looked at each other and said 'is that house on fire?'" Frye said.

Several neighbors quickly gathered around the home, just past Deliverance Church on Gordon Street. Those who arrived first on the scene said they banged on windows and doors before firefighters arrived to make sure no one was inside the home.

Corbin Fire Chief Barry McDonald wasn't sure of the fire's cause, but said it could be related to damaged power lines from Tuesday's storm. The fire occurred less than 30 minutes after power had been restored to the area.

The structure of the home did not appear to be damaged as of press time, but it suffered heavy interior smoke damage.