A fire broke out behind the Cobbs Creek Post Office at 11:20 Saturday night, provoking a combined response by Mathews and Gloucester firefighters.

Mathews, responding with three engines, one tanker and one rescue vehicle, was by Gloucester who sent two vehicles, according to Mathews Volunteer Fire Department Chief Ronnie Lewis. At the time of the fire, one person was reported missing but later confirmed not to be in the structure.

The cause of the fire is unknown but remains under investigation. “It was more than smoke damage,” Lewis stated of the aftermath, “but the post office itself was not affected [by fire].”

The building, which includes an apartment area in the rear, is owned by Richard Callis of R&W Marine Construction. Callis’s son Ricky, who was at the scene, stated of the extent of the fire: “the heavy fire damage was contained to the apartment in the rear of the building and the hallway … everything else is pretty much varyin...