Four separate grass fires broke out in Stokes County on Monday, according to the Stokes County Fire Marshal’s office. The fires were reported in Pinnacle, King, the South Stokes area and Walnut Cove.

“They were fairly small,” said Assistant Fire Marshal Travis Grey. He stated that the biggest one was perhaps a little over three-fourths of an acre, on Durham Road off Piney Mountain Road on the South Stokes High School side of Walnut Cove.

“They seemed to be unintentional,” Grey noted. He added that the recent weather conditions—low humidity, strong winds and higher than average temperatures—could be the culprit. The Forestry Service has taken over the investigation.

A structure fire was reported off Highway 704 in Sandy Ridge on Sunday. Northeast Stokes and Stokes-Rockingham Fire Departments were two of the responders, but the mobile home was already too far gone. It was declared a total loss. No one was currently living in the trailer.

Yet another fire call came in at approximately 3 a.m. on Monday morning. A newspaper deliveryman heard an alarm going off at the Friends Mart at the intersection of Highway 66 and Payne Road near Rural Hall. He reported the alarm and Rural Hall, King and Sauratown Fire Departments directly responded. Assisting departments were Pinnacle, Mineral Springs and Old Richmond.

Apparently the fire was caused by a freezer malfunction. No one was in the store at that time of the morning. The loss is estimated at approximately $170,000 on the building; the contents were a total loss.

Assistant Fire Marshal Travis Grey stated that most of the damage was caused by smoke, water and heat rather than fire. The roof was also damaged when holes were made there for ventilation.