What was originally reported as a fire with flames showing in a downtown Leesburg building turned out to be only a minor incident late Thursday afternoon.
Tim Thuering, captain of the Highland County North Joint Fire and Ambulance District in Leesburg, said he was driving by Leesburg American Legion Post 568 when he saw what appeared to be flames coming out of the side of the building. When he inspected the flames closer though, they were coming from a solar panel that powers a light above a mural of different scenes from Leesburg that hangs on the side of the building.
The solar panel is located on the side of the building near the roof line. It was destroyed.
The post is located in the middle of Leesburg at 3 W. Main St., just across the street from the former post location that was destroyed by fire 10 to 12 years, Thuering said.
Monday’s fire left some small soot marks on the mural, but other than the solar panel that was the only damage.
Thuering said the fire district was dispatched to the scene at 5:06 p.m. He said firefighters checked the inside of the building to make sure flames had not spread anywhere inside, and they had not.
Reach Jeff Gilliland at 937-402-2522 or [email protected].
