Nov. 7—A plume of smoke filled the afternoon sky after a fire erupted at Shelby business Saturday afternoon.
Firefighters from across the county battled the blaze at Auto Parts U-Pull on County Line Road just off of U.S. 74 near Golden Corral. Scrapped cars, metal and other items were devoured by the flames that licked the top of the more than 25-foot tall trees on the property.
Cleveland County EMS received a call around 12:40 p.m. about someone being burned at the business. When Lt. Michael Hedrick with EMS arrived on the scene, he found not only his patient but a wall of fire.
"We didn't expect this," Hedrick said as he waved his hand to the flames that ravaged a section of the u-pull lot in front of him.
Cleveland County medics transported an unidentified man to Atrium Health-Cleveland in Shelby for burns sustained from the fire. His injuries were not life-threatening, according to Hedrick.
Hedrick and more than a dozen others gathered to watch the men and women from different fire departments around the county make their way to the scene.
"We've been out here before they even started spraying," Tony Crozier said from a perch on top of a truck to get a better view of the flames through the thick, black smoke that curled around the wreckage of cars.
As Cozier watched firefighters spray, he stated the fire had spread and grown considerably in the last hour.
More people stopped their vehicles to take photos and video of the flames. As they looked on, pops and small explosions could be heard.
People reported seeing the plume of smoke stretched into the sky for miles around. Tankards lined-up along County Line Road to bring gallons and gallons of water to douse the flames.
The blaze continued to burn more than an hour after the first firefighter arrived on the scene.
The cause of the fire has not been released.
Joyce Orlando can be reached at 704-669-3341 or find her on Twitter @Star_J_Orlando.
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