A fire destroyed the nearly completed home of Roger and Jennifer Smith at Green River Farms early Tuesday morning.
Roger Smith is the vice president of the Tryon Riding & Hunt Club (TR&HC) and he and Jennifer Smith donated the land for the hunt club’s Green Creek Equestrian Park, now in development.
The Smiths, who own nearly 4,000 acres, are among the largest landowners in Polk County, said TR&HC executive director Laura Weicker.
The Smiths had been living in an apartment above their barn located on their farm at 1645 John Watson Road in Green Creek, said Weicker. They had invested nearly five years in the design and construction of their new home on the property, Weicker said, and were planning to move into the new house in April, on Block House Steeplechase weekend.
Weicker, who spoke with the Smiths Wednesday morning, said Roger Smith was in town Tuesday night, and noticed flames coming from the garage when looking out his bathroom window in the middle of the night.
Emergency responders were dispatched at 3:20 a.m. Tuesday and according to Columbus Fire Chief Geoff Tennant the home was fully engulfed upon responders arrival. The house was reportedly constructed of many imported woods and materials.
The Green Creek Fire Department was the first on scene, but Fire Chief Tarrance Randolf was unavailable for comment as of press time.
Along with Green Creek, fire departments from Columbus, Mill Spring, SDO (Shiloh, Danieltown and Oakland) out of Rutherford County also responded. The Polk County Emergency Services, the Polk County Chapter of the American Red Cross and the Polk County Sheriffs Office were also on scene.
The sheriff’s department is investigating the cause.
Another fire in Green Creek destroyed a home last Thursday night in the Green Fields development off Collinsville Road.
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