Fire destroys Johnson County High’s baseball facility

Wrightsville community rallies after school sports facility loss

WRIGHTSVILLE, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) — The building that houses Johnson County High School baseball’s concessions, bathrooms and press box is a “total loss” after a fire Sunday night.

According to the Wrightsville Fire Chief Shawn Wombles, the three-year-old building will have to be rebuilt due to the damage caused by the fire. The cleanup process is expected to be extensive, with debris scattered throughout the area.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation, and the state fire marshal’s office is assisting. However, Chief Wombles said no foul play is suspected. Investigators believe the cause may have been an electrical issue

Despite the loss, Tuesday’s game went on as usual. The area was roped off, and fans were asked to stay away for safety reasons. Food and drinks and facilities were available for visitors to utilize while they were there.

Chief Wombles says responders are seeing a lot of fires caused by lithium-ion batteries that power our portable devices. He says rechargeable batteries are causing a lot of home fires. People are putting them in, charging them and leaving them on charge for extended periods, and those batteries are malfunctioning and exploding. Despite that revelation, the fire chief says there were no lithium batteries in the facility.

The building was vacant at the time of the fire, and no one was injured. Wombles says he has the full support of the school district superintendent, and they are working together to rebuild the facility as soon as possible.