The Town of Smithfield is considering the purchase of a piece of property where a fatal hours fire occurred earlier this year.
On January 30th, a house at 116 South Fifth Street, adjacent to the Smithfield Police Department, was destroyed in an early morning blaze.
One of 8 residents who was inside the burning home, 43 year-old Michael Carol Davis, who was deaf, did not make it out and was found dead by firefighters. The seven others escaped without serious harm. One police officer was injured attempting to rescue Davis.
Fire investigators later ruled the blaze as accidental.
The Town recently learned the property owner was considering selling the lot. Since the town owns the lots on each side of the burned out dwelling, Town Manager Michael Scott has received permission from the Smithfield Town Council to enter into discussions with the property owner to attempt to work out a sales price and to determine the cost of demolishing the fire damaged home.
The findings will be reported back to the town council for review as soon as possible. Photo by John Payne
