UNION — The combination of burning garbage and dismantled deck materials helped spread a fire that destroyed a house on Catherine Street Thursday morning.
The Union Public Safety Department and Monarch and Southside fire departments were dispatched at 5:30 a.m. to 208 Catherine St. to combat the blaze and would remain on the scene until noon.
Union Public Safety Director Sam White said the fire apparently began in a barrel that had been used the previous night to burn trash.
“It seems to have started at the rear of the building where they’d been burning some trash in a barrel the night before,” White said Friday morning. “The fire apparently wasn’t out and spread to an old deck the resident was taking down and spread from there to the house.”
White said the resident was home asleep when the fire began but woke up and was able to escape without injury.
The house was described as a complete loss by White who estimated the cost of the damage at approximately $40,000.
Editor Charles Warner can be reached at 864-427-1234, ext. 14, or by email at cwarner@heartlandpublications.com.







