AHOSKIE – A fire of suspicious origin is under investigation by the Ahoskie Police Department.

Firefighters from two towns battled Saturday night’s blaze in an old warehouse on East Richard Street.

“It was tough to get to because of its location near the railroad tracks,” Ahoskie Fire Chief Ken Dilday said.

The Chief added that the fire was deemed as suspicious because no electrical power was noted in that particular area of the old warehouse.

Dilday said it was apparent that the warehouse contained old tires and junk, thus adding “fuel” to the fire. Plus, a portion of the warehouse roof was deteriorated, making it a safety hazard for the firemen.

“Fortunately, no one was injured,” Dilday said.

There was damage to nearby telephone lines, causing an unknown number of Embarq customers to lose service.

“The heat from the fire was enough to melt the (phone) lines,” Dilday noted.

The fire chief added that Embarq technicians were on the scene for most of the day on Sunday and returned yesterday (Monday) in efforts to make repairs.

The warehouse is owned by Wallace Page of Ahoskie.

Ahoskie firefighters, 17 in number, responded to the 7:15 p.m. blaze with four units. They remained on the scene until 9:46 p.m.

Assistance was provided by the Winton Fire Department.