Building, vehicles damaged in fire on Bankhead Highway

A shed and several tractor trailers were damaged by a fire Saturday afternoon in Winder.
According to a Barrow County Emergency Services news release, just before 2 p.m. Saturday, firefighters responded to a call in the 1000 block of Bankhead Highway, where they found the shed and trailers on fire, and several large fuel tanks were also near the fire.
Firefighters utilized the ladder truck to start fire control from above the blaze as well as a large volume stream from an engine. Hand lines were also utilized to combat the fire spread. Broken power lines and several fuel tanks that had exploded hampered initial fire attack efforts.
“We had power lines and an arcing transformer just above the fire which caused a life safety issue,” said Capt. Scott Dakin. “We also had several smaller fuel tanks that had exploded due to the heat from the fire. With the larger tanks in the area, the life safety of crews and bystanders had to be taken into consideration for fire control efforts.”
Power crews arrived and shut power off to the business. Once firefighters cooled tanks and contained the fire around them they were able to extinguish the fire. Two tractor trailers, a small building, forklift and pickup truck were destroyed in the blaze. An additional trailer also suffered some damage from radiant heat. The cause of the fire is under investigation by the Fire Investigation Team.
The Georgia Department of Natural Resources also responded to this call due to the diesel fuel that was spilled from containment tanks. Barrow County sheriff’s deputies assisted with traffic control as Bankhead Highway had to be shut down due to fire control and life safety issues.