Tennessee Firefighters Respond To House Fire

March 10, 2005
On Saturday, March 5, 2005 at 2224 hours, the Fire Department of the City of Columbia, Tennessee responded to a reported structure fire in a large two story home.

On Saturday, March 5, 2005 at 2224 hours, the Fire Department of the City of Columbia, Tennessee responded to a reported structure fire in a large two story home in the downtown district of the city. As units responded, additional dispatch information was communicated that there were two possible occupants trapped inside. Fire units arrived on scene and reported they had heavy flames showing from the rear of the structure. The Incident Commander also reported that one of the occupants was outside and one of the occupants was hanging out a second floor window. One of the arriving truck companies was assigned to the rescue. Using a 24' ground ladder and three firefighters, the rescue was a success with no injuries to the occupant or firefighters.

Once all of the occupants were accounted for, firefighters turned their attention to the family's funeral home next door which was approximately 15 feet away from the fire home. The roofing shingles on the funeral home had already began to smoke when water was applied to prevent any further damage.

Firefighters attempted an aggressive interior attack on three different occasions. Each time they found heavy smoke, fire, and heat conditions. Once the structural integrity of the home had been compromised, the decision was made to transition to a defensive attack with heavy streams. The Fire Department of the City of Columbia responded, to this incident, with 31 fire personnel, six apparatus, and 3 command/staff vehicles. The first two apparatus arrived on scene in two minutes, the third and fourth apparatus arrived on scene in five minutes, the fifth apparatus arrived on scene in fourteen minutes, and the sixth apparatus arrived on scene in sixteen minutes.

While determining the cause and origin of the fire, we found that the home was two stories, each with 12 foot ceiling, and had a large un-improved attic space. The home was a historical home constructed in 1870. The total square feet of livable space was approximately 5,800 square feet. The home was constructed of wood frame and wood siding. The home had been updated with vinyl siding. The incident was terminated with no civilian injuries/deaths and one minor firefighter injury (mashed finger apparatus wheel chock).

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