In Middle Valley, Tennesse on Tuesday, December 12,2006 at 1:20 pm, Dallas Bay Volunteer Firefighters were alerted of a house fire in the 1700 block of East Crabtree Road in Middle Valley. Dallas Bay Fire Chief Al Rosamond immediately called for a mutual aid tanker from the Soddy Daisy Fire Department, due to the location and the fire chiefs knowledge that the nearest fire hydrant would be more than a half mile away. When the first engine arrived on the scene, they confirmed a heavily involved working structure fire. Firefighters quickly pulled an inch and ¾ hose line and started an interior attack.
Within minutes, several additional firefighters arrived on the scene and started assisting with firefighting efforts. The interior attack efforts were quickly hampered when the roof and floors started collapsing. Although crews continued battling the blaze, the intense heat inside the fire and the strong wind that was blowing made extinguishing efforts difficult. Additional man power and equipment from the Red Bank Fire Department and the Sale Creek Fire Department was requested to the scene for assistance. A tanker shuttle operation kept a continuous flow of water to the firefighters while they battled the blaze.
Witnesses at the scene said the home owner found some smoldering books in his garage. He took them outside and wet them down with a garden hose. The man then left his home to run some errands. A short time later his wife smelled more smoke and discovered the house was on fire. The woman luckily made it out of the house without injury. Their children were in school and luckily not at home at the time of the fire. All of the families belongings and even their Christmas presents were in the house.
After a long, strenuous and aggressive battle the fire was finally extinguished after about 3 hours. The home was a total loss, estimated around $170,000. The family fortunately did have insurance and neighbors said the family did have some place to stay. Hamilton County Sheriffs Officers provided traffic control for the firefighters and Hamilton County EMS assisted with operations at the scene.
