On Wednesday Morning September 20th, a devastating fire ravaged a structure in Sylva, resulting in the destruction of a building and causing significant damage to the Foot and Ankle Clinic, which was attached to it. The fire started at approximately 2:15 a.m. on the southern section of the building, as confirmed by authorities.
Michael Forbis, the Fire Marshal for Jackson County, reported that when emergency responders arrived at the scene, the flames had already reached a height of 25 feet, and the building’s roof was on the verge of collapsing. The southern part of the structure had been utilized for storage by Harris Regional Hospital. Remarkably, the efforts of the firefighters managed to prevent the complete incineration of the Foot and Ankle Clinic.
A physician associated with the clinic mentioned that they had recently undergone renovations just one year prior and had plans to receive patients on the same Wednesday. Sylva’s Fire Chief, Mike Beck, acknowledged that the building’s fire wall and the swift response of the firefighters played a crucial role in preventing the Foot and Ankle Clinic from suffering total devastation. Nevertheless, controlling the fire proved to be a challenging endeavor. The cause of the fire is presently under investigation, with both the Fire Marshal and the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation jointly examining the circumstances
