A Harcum landmark was destroyed by fire early last Thursday. The former Hazel’s Country Store, which had been vacant for a number of years, was decimated by flames that were reported around 1:20 a.m. The cause of the fire remains under investigation by the Gloucester Sheriff’s Office and the Virginia State Police.
C.W. Miller, assistant chief for Gloucester Volunteer Fire and Rescue Squad, Inc., lives right around the corner from the store and said he was first to arrive on the scene. “I saw no one on the scene, except that the building was fully involved,” Miller said.
He said he could only surmise that the fire was set. “There was no electricity to the building and we hadn’t had any lightning strikes in the area over the past several days,” he said.
About 40 volunteers responded to the scene, including mutual aid responses from Abingdon Volunteer Fire and Rescue and the Mathews Volunteer Fire Department.
Looking back
On Monday, Hazel Jackson,...