Fire severely damages Carr Street house; no one injured

A fire caused major damage to a house at 923 Carr Street early this morning. It apparently began around 4 or 4:30 a.m. The family that was renting the house was able to escape without injury, but they were forced out with nothing but the clothes they were wearing. Neighbors provided shoes and additional clothing. The family said they had relatives with whom they could stay.

Firefighters worked for about two hours to put the fire out. Afterward, the full extent of the damage was unknown, but the metal roof appeared to be almost completely gone. The fire appeared to have started at the back of the house, firefighters said. The cause was not immediately known. The house was built in 1910.

Across a shared driveway, the neighboring house at 925 Carr suffered minor damage from the heat of the fire. 921 Carr, which is extremely close to 923, may have suffered superficial damage as well but did not catch fire.

Fires are fairly rare in College Hill. A fire in an apartment at 919 Spring Garden Street caused extensive damage several years ago. The city, Preservation Greensboro and the College Hill Neighborhood Association worked together to find a buyer to restore the house and convert it back into single-family residence. A house at 824 Rankin Place was destroyed by fire in 1999; a new house was built on the lot last year. A New Year’s Day fire damaged an upstairs apartment at 307 S. Mendenhall about 20 years ago.