PHOTO: The aftermath of the fire on Tuesday, just behind City Hall on 2nd St West in Fort Payne. (Contributed Photo)
By Tyler Pruett, Managing Editor
FORT PAYNE, Ala. — On Monday night, at approximately 12:30 am, emergency services in Fort Payne where notified of a house fire on Banks Drive, near the Fort Payne Reservoir.
When acting shift commander Lieutenant John Westmoreland and his crew arrived on scene, they discovered a fire that had started in the garage and spread to the attic.
“Luckily, an alarm had went off in the garage, and the mother was able to wake her children and evacuate the structure before we arrived,” said Westmoreland.
Firefighters were able to douse the blaze and save the structure, but the house did receive significant damage as a result of the fire and water. Off-duty Fort Payne fighters also arrived to assist and four fire department vehicles responded. Crews were on the scene for about two and a half to three hours.
“The smoke alarm likely saved their lives,” said Fort Payne Asst. Chief Ron Saferite. “The fire started in the garage, and set off the alarm in the bedroom. Because they were sequenced, she woke the kids up and they evacuated the house.”
“The crew did a good job keeping it from being a total loss,” added Saferite.
On Tuesday, at approximately 3:00 pm, the Fort Payne Fire Department responded to yet another call of a structure fire. The house was located on 2nd St NW; behind city hall.
The structure was fully involved when the firefighters reached the scene. Luckily, as in the case of the fire the previous night, nobody was injured, as the homeowner’s weren’t home. The cause of the fire is yet to be determined and is still under investigation, but early signs seem to point to electrical.
“The guys did a good job of knocking the fire down. It goes it to defensive mode when a house gets to that point, and we have to keep it off of the surrounding residences. The new water system worked great; pumping water through a 5 foot hose up the hill.” said Saferite.
