Fire damages home of well-known local doctor

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SILER CITY — Fire destroyed a large portion of retired Siler City doctor John Dykers’ home Monday.
Believed to have started in a garage area near the home’s water heater system, the fire claimed 60 to 70 percent of the more than 100-year-old residence, according to Siler City Fire Chief Scott Murphy.
Neither Dykers, a physician who practiced in Siler City for many years before retiring several years ago, nor any of the nearly 50 firefighters on scene all day battling the blaze were injured, Murphy said.
A caretaker arrived at Dykers’ home, at 1783 Alston Bridge Road, Monday morning to look after cows on the property when he discovered the fire, calling authorities.
Firefighters had to contend with numerous “void spaces,” including additions built on the home since its original construction and two or three layers of roofing material. They were able to save the oldest portion of the home, Murphy said.
While the badly-damaged residence isn’t habitable now, a number of Dykers’ personal items including books and clothing were salvageable, said Murphy.
Firefighters from the Siler City Fire Department responded, with assistance from Bonlee, Staley, Silk Hope, Pittsboro and Bennett fire departments.
Goldston Volunteer Fire Department was on stand-by in Bonlee’s district while Bonlee firefighters assisted in Siler City, Murphy said.
“It’s notable that of the 45 to 50 firefighters there, 30 were volunteers who stayed all day,” Murphy said. “To have so many volunteers be able to do that in this day and age is unusual.”
Murphy noted those volunteers had permission to be away from their jobs to conduct their volunteer duties.
Wet weather complicated firefighters’ efforts, Murphy said. Had ground surrounding the property not been saturated from rain, firefighters could have accessed water from a nearby pond. Instead, tanker trucks from Silk Hope and Pittsboro supplied water to fight the blaze.

Siler City, Fire, John Dykers