Golf Car Options Magazine March 2020 GCOptions Mar20 MAGZTER | Page 36

Golf CARS
making
NEWS
W
alkertown golf cart shop destroyed by
blaze early Tuesday, fire loss to exceed
$500,000
FORSYTH COUNTY, N.C. — A golf cart shop was
destroyed by a blaze early Tuesday morning in Walk-
ertown, according to the Forsyth County fire marshal.
Firefighters from Walkertown, Belews Creek, Piney
Grove, and Forsyth County were dispatched to Mc-
Tron Inc., 5650 Reidsville Road, just before 6 a.m. due
to the structure fire.
Firefighters said the golf cart shop was heavily in-
volved with fire when they arrived.
“Upon arrival, we had probably 40-50% of the struc-
ture was involved. Flames were already coming
through the roof so there was a pretty significant
amount of fire when we arrived,” Walkertown Fire
Chief Daren Ziglar said. “We don’t usually have
ones of this size. The biggest thing is getting enough
resources on the scene and having enough water.
The initial attacks we made on this were with a large
diameter hose so to put a lot of water on the fire at
one time. The problem here with it already ventilated
through the roof, it’s just the fire was in a free-burn-
ing state and it’s just hard to get it under control
quickly.”
Due to the large scale of the fire, Salem Chapel,
Mineral Springs, Kernersville, and Stokesdale Fire
Departments were requested to assist. Walnut Cove
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and Winston-Salem fire departments also respond-
ed to stand by for the operating units.
Ultimately, Forsyth County Emergency Medical
Services, Winston-Salem Fire Haz-Mat Team, WS/
FC Emergency Management, American Red Cross,
NC DOT, Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office, Forsyth
County General Services and the Winston-Salem
Police Department all responded and assisted.
More than 90 responders operated concurrently
at the scene to control the fire, manage related road
closures, and facilitate cleanup efforts, Deputy Chief
Gary Styers said.
During the fire-suppression activities, fire personnel
monitored the area for hazardous runoff and found
very limited impact to the environment.
The business is considered to be a total loss, firefight-
ers said.
Investigators are estimating the fire loss to exceed
$500,000.
“There was a lot of inventory inside. There’s a ware-
house area that had new golf carts as well as carts
that were being worked on. They were parked all
around the way around the structure, right up against
the structure so when it was in its burning state, you
know, a lot of the parts on golf carts are made of plas-
tic so there was a lot of melting, a lot of burning going
on to that also,” Ziglar said.
Firefighters said the cause of the blaze remains under
investigation, and investigators will be on scene for
an extended period of time.
P
eachtree City enacts new golf cart rule
Golf cart drivers must come to a complete stop
on Peachtree City’s multi-use paths before crossing
any road, according to a newly adopted ordinance.