By Keith Upchurch
The Herald-Sun (Durham, NC)
DURHAM, NC — Fire heavily damaged a vacant house in Durham on Thursday afternoon as smoke — unrelated to the blaze — settled over areas of Duke’s East Campus and other parts of the Triangle, apparently after drifting from a controlled burn.
The Durham fire gutted three rooms of a house at 3408 Facade St., Fire Battalion Chief Bill Atkins said. He said firefighters got the call about 2 p.m.
“It was burning pretty freely in the attic when we got there,’' Atkins said. “Probably three rooms were gutted.’'
Atkins said no one was injured and cause is being investigated.
Of the smoke and haze that lingered over parts of Durham on Thursday, Atkins said: “We are assuming that it’s coming from an open burn around the Jordan Lake area. The Forestry Service is clearing out some land, and it’s probably coming up from that area, and staying low because of the atmospheric conditions.’'
He said smoke tends to remain dense in areas with large trees, such as Duke’s East Campus.
“What happens is — it’s my understanding that the trees keep it more concentrated and keep it low.’'
The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission was burning brush on land it controls around Jordan Lake, according to spokeswoman Carolyn Rickard. The commission was burning about 150 acres on game land off Martha’s Chapel Road in southern Chatham County.
The Division of Forest Resources also planned some controlled burning on Thursday afternoon, near the Jordan Lake Educational State Forest on the west side of the lake, spokesman Brian Haines said.
Copyright 2009 The Durham Herald Co.