Eufaula home destroyed by fire after downed power line sparks gas leak
EUFAULA, Ala. (WTVM) - Communities across Alabama are working to recover after Hurricane Isaias brought heavy winds that caused trees to fall on power lines, leaving nearly 7,500 people without power in Barbour County.
A home on Country Club Road in Eufaula burned down as a result of one of those fallen power lines.
Fire started overnight, reignited Sunday
The city of Eufaula felt the impact of the hurricane overnight from Friday into Saturday. The home went up in flames as the result of a chain reaction from the strong winds around 1:30 a.m. Saturday. The family who lived there said the main damage came when the fire reignited Sunday afternoon.
“Seeing videos, and it doesn’t almost seem real almost. It kind of seems like a prank, but like I think it kind of really set in once I laid my eyes on it,” said Luke McGowan.
Mayor Jack Tibbs said the city did not expect the storm to be as severe as it was.
“We didn’t expect it to be quite as bad as it was to be quite honest. The last report, well during the day it was supposed to be 30 mph winds, and then later in the day we got report on 40 mph winds,” Tibbs said.
Downed tree sparked gas line
The impacts of Hurricane Isaias stretched beyond the coast Friday night, bringing high winds that left cities like Eufaula with fallen trees and power lines that led to further damage.
“The tree right here fell down from the winds, and actually caught the power line, and when it did it broke our gas line. The power line was just throwing up sparks and flames, and once it caught the gas it kind of just went crazy from there,” McGowan said.
Cleanup expected to take about a week
Tibbs said the city’s main focus during the storm was clearing roads and restoring power, with full cleanup expected to take about a week.
“Now it’s just a matter of getting the stuff on the side of the road that we piled up, and all the residents. Everybody’s got limbs and debris up there that we’ve gotta clean up,” Tibbs said.
Nearly 5,000 people were without power for nearly 24 hours in Eufaula as Alabama Power crews worked to fix downed power lines.
“This morning we still had 600 out, and I’ve seen it. They’re out working everywhere still, and trying to get everything caught back up,” Tibbs said.
Family faces long road to rebuild
The McGowan family has a longer road ahead as they work to restore their home, with one storm wiping out years of comfort.
“My mom said the power went out and like 2 minutes later the whole garage was just in flames,” McGowan said.
There were no storm-related casualties or serious injuries reported in Barbour County. McGowan said his family was able to get everything important out of their home before further damage was done.
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