Two overnight fires kept crews busy across Shelby County, damaging homes in both Montevallo and Hoover and forcing residents to flee, though no injuries were reported.
The first fire broke out just before 11 p.m. at a home on Hidden Forest Cove in Montevallo. According to the Montevallo Fire Department, more than seven fire departments, including Alabaster and Shelby County, responded to the scene. Officials said 34 firefighters used thousands of gallons of water and worked for nearly two hours to bring the fire under control. By daylight, black soot and charred debris lined the home’s entryway.
Hours later, around 2 a.m., another fire ignited at the Renaissance Galleria Apartments in Hoover. The blaze damaged eight apartment units and displaced 12 residents. One resident’s girlfriend, Shelby Dunagan, said they had only been asleep a short time when they smelled something burning. A neighbor soon warned them that a nearby building was on fire, and they ran out to safety…