The cause of a Sept. 30 fire that resulted in the destruction of 322 Leo Marshall Drive in Blackshear is still officially listed as undetermined. The Blackshear Fire Department (BFD) answered two separate calls to the location. The second and final fire resulted in the near total loss of the structure.
The first call came at 4:43 p.m. BFD responded and extinguished a small fire in the living room. Firefighters on site were confident the fire was fully extinguished. There was no sign of smoke and a thermal imaging camera detected no residual heat sources in the building. As an extra precaution, BFD called Georgia Power to request power to the structure be cut off. It is unknown at this time if that request was fulfilled or if it would have had any effect on the events that followed.
BFD answered a second call to the location just a little over two hours later. Upon arrival, Blackshear Fire Chief Bucky Goble says, “the fire had already blown the roof.”
Firefighters with the Blackshear Fire Department begin to search for any still smoldering material in what is left of 322 Leo Marshall Dr. after the second of two unexplained fires on the same day destroyed the structure.
Firefighters fought to contain the blaze as well as wet down neighboring structures to prevent it from spreading, but there was little that could be done to stop the front half of the building itself from being consumed. The heavy heat damage from the first blaze contributed to the difficulties.
The plume of smoke and light from the blaze were visible at some distance and a small crowd of local residents gathered on the corner of Lee St. and Leo Marshall Dr. to watch events unfold. By 10:35 p.m. it was all over, the fire extinguished and much of the front portion of the structure either burned up or torn apart and dismantled by firefighters to ensure there was no smoldering material waiting to flare up once more.
All that remained was the back part of the house— and questions.
The Monday following Hurricane Helene power began to return to Blackshear. With the return of electricity calls for assistance from the local fire department also resumed.
Blackshear Fire Chief Bucky Goble says some of the calls were to be expected, citing one instance where a pan of grease had been left on a stove. Still switched on by mistake, the stove began heating the forgotten pan of grease once power returned, until it finally ignited. Goble says these sort of things can happen after prolonged power outages.
The situation with the home on Leo Marshall Drive is another matter. Instead of the kitchen, the first blaze began in the living room. Fire Chief Goble also finds it suspicious that a second, larger fire occurred soon after the first one was put out.
Records on the qPublic website indicate that the property has been owned by Willie Mae Eaddy since 1991, but it seems that no one was in residence when either fire broke out. It is entirely reasonable that the occupant of 322 Leo Marshall was out of the area when power returned to the building. Georgia Power did confirm there was an active power meter at the location, but due to privacy restrictions could not say whose name is affiliated with the account nor could they disclose if the request from BFD to shut down power to the location was fulfilled.
For now, BFD has the cause of both fires listed as undetermined and Police Chief Chris Wright confirmed that the blaze is still currently under investigation by the Blackshear Police Department.
If you have any information about the fire, authorities request you contact the Blackshear Police at 912-449-7011.
