High winds help spread Gray house fire

High winds Thursday night spread a house fire to a neighbor’s home and two nearby vehicles in Gray.

West Knox Fire Chief Daryl Baker said firefighters were called to the scene on Aster Lane off of Hazel Fork Road about 11:08 p.m. Firefighters were on scene within six minutes.

“The first house was fully involved,” Baker said of the scene. “It had already burned so much that you could see the frame.”

Baker said the wind blew the flames approximately 40 feet sideways to the second house.

A truck parked in the area between the two homes was consumed by the flames along with another that was parked near the corner.

“By the time we got the truck there and were able to attack the blaze, the second house was on fire,” Baker said.

Baker said the wind continued to hamper firefighting efforts.

“We had plenty of manpower and were able to run three lines,” Baker explained. “The way the wind was blowing the fire, you couldn’t get between the two houses to fight it.”

Baker said the first house was vacant. The second house was occupied.

“There is damage to the garage and attic of the second house,” he said

A third house became endangered by the flames and Baker said firefighters dumped water one it to keep it from burning.

Firefighters were on scene until 1:55 a.m.

Baker said the cause of the blaze is unknown. A Kentucky State Police arson investigator has been called to the scene.

“About 5 p.m., we had been called to grass fire just across the street from that house,” Baker said. “There was nobody around to tell us how it got started and it wasn’t close to the road, so it probably wasn’t somebody flipping a lit cigarette out a car window.”