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House fire sparks dispute over access to water
1130FIRE1
This home, owned by Philip and Mary Hart Wilheit, was destroyed by fire Monday evening.
A Monday night fire that destroyed the family home of a prominent local businessman has reignited a dispute between some Hall County and Gainesville officials over access to water and how to provide it for a growing populace. “Water is the future of the entire county,” Hall Commissioner Scott Gibbs said. The roughly 10,000-square-foot home in the 4600 block of Shoreline Drive off Harold Whelchel Road in North Hall, valued at about $2 million, is a total loss after the blaze appears to have begun in the fireplace and chimney before quickly spreading to the roof and engulfing the rest of the home, according to Hall County Fire Services officials.