Ledger photo / SCOTT POWELL This house at 100 Apple St. in Gaffney was destroyed by a fire Friday at 10:30 p.m. It is one of five major calls that kept the Gaffney Fire Department busy until early Saturday morning. A woods fire on People's Creek Road on Friday afternoon still had hot spots that required the attention of Gaffney firefighters the next morning.

The Gaffney Fire Department responded at 3:30 p.m. when a storage shed fire at 236 People's Creek Road spread to a wooded area behind the residence, Capt. Jody Brasington said. Firefighters from the Corinth, DMW, Blacksburg and Goucher volunteer fire departments joined the three Gaffney Fire Department stations at the fire.

Firefighters worked until 8 p.m. to put out the fire, Brasington said. Extremely dry conditions and a breeze contributed to the spread of the fire.

The state Forestry Commission used a bulldozer to plow a fire break around the scene.

Firefighters responded to the scene again Saturday at 9:39 a.m. when a pine tree limb restarted the blaze.

A firefighter directs a stream of water on a woods fire on People's Creek Road on Friday. "Embers from a limb off a pine tree that was still burning fell outside the fire line. It took about an hour and half to clear up from the fire," Brasington said. "There will continue to be stumps and dead trees that will burn for the next few days."

The dry conditions increased the risk of more fires and kept Gaffney firefighters busy Friday night.

There was a propane gas tank leak at 7:30 p.m. along the railroad track beside the T-Bridge in downtown Gaffney.

Firefighters responded to a house fire on Apple Street at 10:30 p.m. This was followed by a fuel spill at 12:48 a.m. at the Krystal convenience store on Shelby Highway.

Gaffney firefighters also responded to a 1 a.m. fire in the hood system at Burger King on Nancy Creek Road.

While only the Apple Street house was destroyed, Brasington said the calls had the potential to be much more serious.

An employee at Ace Hardware reported the smell of gas coming from the railroad track.

Norfolk Southern Railroad keeps propane gas tanks for use as switch heaters in the winter months to keep the railroad track switches from freezing, Brasington said. The tanks are normally refilled in November.

Ledger photos / CODY SOSSAMON Firefighters had to return Saturday morning to the site of a woods fire on People's Creek Road after it re-ignited. "The winter was so mild this year that they didn't have to use the switch heaters. With the high temperatures we have seen this summer, the gas left in the tank had no room to expand," Brasington said. "The safety pressure valve activated and gas started to leak out of the tank."

Firefighters sprayed water on the propane gas tank to cool it and prevent a potential fire. Crews from Norfolk Southern Railroad and AmeriGas company pumped the gas out and removed the tank. It is expected to be replaced with a new tank.

Firefighters were unable to save a house at 100 Apple Street later that evening.

The fire had already caused substantial damage to the residence when firefighters arrived at 10:30 p.m. The house was a total loss.

While the Forestry Commission has not issued a burn ban, Brasington requested residents refrain from any outside burning because of the dry conditions and lack of rainfall.