By JIM TALBERT\Staff
PISGAH – It was a working Christmas for many firefighters in Tazewell County.
Tazewell County 911 received a call around 7:50 p.m. Dec. 24 of a fire at the Higginbotham House, a private museum on Pisgah road just outside the town of Tazewell.
Units from Tazewell County Fire and Rescue were first on the scene and they called for assistance from the town of Tazewell, Thompson Valley, Baptist Valley and Bishop. The Tazewell County Sheriff’s office provided assistance with traffic control.
Crews were on the scene battling the blaze until three a.m. Christmas morning. Fire fighter s from Tazewell County and Baptist Valley returned just after eight a.m. when the blaze rekindled.
.Tazewell County Fire Chief Billy Allison said five departments and a total of 30 fire fighters battled the blaze to no avail. Despite 42,000 gallons of water, the structure which dated back to the 1880’s was a total loss.
Allison said the cause of the fire has not been determined but arson is not suspected. The property was unoccupied and the antiques and other memorabilia from the estate of the late Jeff Higginbotham were being stored in a nearby log cabin while the house was being renovated.
Rick Fisher, who owns the property, was having it renovated with plans to reopen it to the public. There had reportedly been construction workers on the scene earlier in the day.
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