Lexington residents concerned about vacant house after fire

LEXINGTON, N.C. (WGHP) — A fire at a vacant former boarding home in Lexington early Saturday morning has left neighbors worried about ongoing safety risks.

The fire happened around 4 a.m. in the 900 block of West Fifth Avenue, and residents are frustrated over recurring fires at abandoned buildings in their area.

The fire happened just months after a deadly fire on West Fifth Street less than two miles away where Lexington Fire Captain Ronnie Metcalf was fatally injured in May while responding to a fire at another vacant property.

“Earlier this year, the department had a tragedy that happened at a vacant building. We did find out later that although the structure wasn’t occupied by someone living in it, there were certainly folks staying there,” Interim Fire Chief Michael Tofano said.

Tofano said firefighters face tough decisions when responding to fires in vacant buildings, weighing the risks of entering unstable structures against the potential need to rescue someone inside.

The department lacks a detailed list of vacant residential properties, relying only on records of vacant commercial buildings, making it harder to monitor safety concerns at unoccupied homes.

“Just because a building is vacant does not necessarily mean it is unoccupied, so we’ve got to treat it like someone is in there, but, at the same time, use extra caution when approaching those buildings because we don’t know what shape they’re in structurally,” Tofano said.

Shando Perkins, who lives next to the burned building on West Fifth Avenue, said he’s been worried about the vacant home for years and had repeatedly asked the city to secure it.

“My house could have caught on fire. I could have been out of a … place to live,” Perkins said.

Perkins said the vacant property had been an ongoing issue in the neighborhood.

“Most of the time, you’ll see people walking by, sitting on the front porch, eating … Most of the time, you catch them going in and out at night,” Perkins said.

The now-destroyed building used to be a boarding home, offering affordable housing for many. When it shut down, former residents were left without a place to go, adding to the growing homelessness issue in the area.

“This building here had thirteen bedrooms in it, and the homeless had somewhere to go. They were living here, paying their rent, water and light bill,” Perkins said. “But when they shut it down, they had nowhere to go.”

As winter approaches, residents like Perkins are calling for action to prevent more incidents and ensure the safety of the community.

“We’ve got to do something because if this happens again, we might not be that lucky. Somebody might lose their life … Even though they’re breaking in, you’ve got the fall and winter now. Where are they going?” Perkins said.

The Lexington Fire Department has activated a fourth fire engine at Station 1, which is funded by a SAFER grant.

The addition is expected to enhance the department’s capacity to respond to fires.

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