As time crept past midnight in Shelby, four districts of the Bolivar County Volunteer Fire Department were dispatched to a house fire near Old Hwy. 61.
Arriving on the scene after the fifth tone-up, District 7 Chief Eugene "Danny" Harris realized that his team would need to summon other districts' water supplies. District 1 Cleveland, District 2 Duncan and District 9 Mound Bayou responded.
"With it being a rural fire, what we normally do now is we dispatch more than one district," said Lee Tedder, assistant chief of District 1. "When we do that, we have more water, and get a quick response."
Firefighters worked hurriedly to stop flames erupting from the roof of the trailer home.
The siding on the North side of the structure was removed to enable water flow.
Tedder said that though an origin in the fire has not been determined, portions of the house seemed more disturbed that others.
"There was some fire damage in the kitchen," said Tedder. "But most of the smoke and water damage is in the bedroom. But, like in the living room, here and there were some things that they will be able to save. There were a lot of folks there. It was a good response."
For 5 years, Robbie and Linda Garner had made the house their home.
Mr. Garner was in the house when the fire began, but his wife was spending the evening with her mother.
According to the couple's daughter, "He was sleeping when he heard a popping noise and got up to see what it was and he saw it over the refrigerator"
"He just thanks God that he got out," said his wife. "There must not be any fire hydrants out here nowhere."
"Everything I own was in there," said Garner. "I couldn't even grab my bill-fold."
Reprinted with permission from The Bolivar Commercial
