A grease fire destroyed a house on Stone Street in Gaston Friday when a deep fryer flared up, the town’s volunteer fire department said.

The fire left Phillip Amyx and his wife homeless, Ed Porter Sr., deputy fire chief, said this morning.

The Red Cross was notified and Porter said it was his understanding Amyx was making arrangements with family members for a place to stay. The Red Cross was notified.

Porter said the deep fryer apparently flared up and Amyx left the house.

Firefighters from Gaston were assisted by those from Garysburg and Roanoke Rapids. Three firefighters were treated at Halifax Regional Medical Center in Roanoke Rapids for heat exhaustion and one sustained a minor injury. All firefighters were OK, Porter said.

The city’s fund balance got another boost Friday as KapStone paid its 07-08 taxes, officials confirmed.

The company paid $243,434.25, Finance Director MeLinda Hite said. Of that money, approximately $45,000 will go to the city school system while the remainder will go to the fund balance, she said.

Hite said the money should put the city’s fund balance at more than $2 million.

“This has been one of the council’s main agendas to build up the fund balance,” Mayor D.N. Beale said, “And we are continuing to do that. I spent yesterday talking to people in Raleigh (the Local Government Commission) and they said they are pleased, very much pleased, with the way we’re building the fund balance. Council is going to continue to work hard on that.”

News KapStone paid its 07-08 tax bill comes following an announcement during Tuesday’s city council meeting the fund balance has improved following drastic measures late last fiscal year to keep its savings account from dropping below an 8 percent threshold.

Measures taken by council when the city learned in February it faced a $664,000 shortfall mean when it closed the books at the end of June, its fund balance increased 8.9 percent for a total of 17.2 percent. That represents a $1.9 million unreserved fund balance. Fund revenues for the year are expected to increase by more than $900,000.

The news does not mean the city can go on a spending spree because the Local Government Commission likes to see the percentage for city’s Roanoke Rapids size at 30 percent or more.

There are also no guarantees the state, to fix its budget woes, won’t take money from cities, officials said Tuesday.

Two things state legislators are eyeing are ABC revenues and eliminating privilege license fees, which would mean a total loss of $150,000 to the city. There have been indications the privilege license fees will go back to the state.

The news also doesn’t mean any positions cut to make up for the shortfall can be refilled.

The city cut a public works sanitation worker, two street worker I positions, property maintenance worker I position and a preventive maintenance specialist. An administrative assistant I position was made a part-time position.

Cuts were also made within the Planning Department. The city laid off a planner, an administrative assistant II, a part-time administrative assistant I and a code enforcement officer.

An administrative assistant was let go within city administration and part-time positions throughout the city were cut to balance the shortfall.

The city also enacted furloughs for all employees to deal with the shortfall.

The Gaston Volunteer Fire Department was returning to the scene today to determine what caused a fire which destroyed a house on Stone Street Friday.

Deputy Chief Ed Porter Sr. told The Spin this morning no one was at home when fire broke out shortly before 2 p.m.

Three firefighters were taken to Halifax Regional Medical Center in Roanoke Rapids where they were treated and later released for heat exhaustion. There was one from Garysburg, Lester Greenwood, and two from Gaston, Jay Barnes and Brian Powers. Several other firefighters were treated at the scene and one firefighter, Michelle Otten, received a minor injury, Porter said.

“It was the turnout gear and the extreme heat,” Porter said. “It wasn’t so much the heat from the fire as it was the humidity and heat.”

Firefighters spent most of the afternoon battling the blaze, finally clearing around 5:30 p.m. More than 20 firefighters from Gaston, Garysburg and Roanoke Rapids fought the fire.

When firefighters arrived flames were coming out the windows. It appears the fire started in the back of the house.

The initial dispatch indicated someone was in the house. The man who lives there with his wife, Phillip Amyx, was not at home. His wife is out of town. Porter said firefighters believe the family did lose two small dogs in the fire.

While no monetary damage estimate was immediately available, Porter said the house was a total loss. The house next to it sustained radiation damage.

Porter said nothing stood out on what might have caused the fire.