2-alarm fire causes major damage to upscale home near SouthPark mall
A home in one of Charlotte’s most expensive neighborhoods was heavily damaged Tuesday morning by a two-alarm fire that brought more than 50 firefighters to a gated community near SouthPark mall.
An electrical wiring malfunction started the fire in the two-story home in the 7000 block of Old Dairy Lane in the Morrocroft Estates area, Capt. Dennis Gist of the Charlotte Fire Department said later Tuesday. The fire caused about $450,000 in damage and was ruled accidental, Gist said.
A neighbor first reported the fire at 7 a.m. Firefighters arrived to see heavy smoke and flames billowing from the roof. At 7:35 a.m., a second alarm was issued.
Video tweeted by the department showed the roof of the home was largely destroyed and flames were shooting into the air.
Firefighters took just under an hour to get the blaze under control.
Update 7000 Old Dairy Ln; 2nd alarm transmitted; pic.twitter.com/TVgUMHoZt3
— Charlotte Fire Dept (@CharlotteFD) July 25, 2017
Homes in the community, at the intersection of Colony and Fairview roads, are valued at in excess of $1 million, county records show.
Firefighters told the Observer that no one was home at the time of the fire. No one was injured, officials said.
Neighbors told WCNC that the homeowners’ pets were rescued from the home. They also said the home is in the same community that Carolina Panthers owner Jerry Richardson lives in, the station reported.
People were seen trying to remove cars from the home’s garage, WCNC reported.
This story was originally published July 25, 2017 at 7:34 AM with the headline "2-alarm fire causes major damage to upscale home near SouthPark mall."