House Fire on Hwy J near Japan

The morning of Wednesday, Feb 4th, I was getting ready to clean some rocks and heard Bourbon Fire Department`s tones dropped on the scanner and dispatched to a residential structure fire on Hwy J, near Seminary Road…I knew this was in Sullivan`s Fire District and they would be soon dispatched as well, so after grabbing my camera, Missy and I headed for the truck. The fire crew on duty must have overheard the dispatch as well and I spotted them northbound on Hwy 185 as I approached the Elmont Bridge. They were soon out of my sight and I turned on Seminary Road…figuring I would catch up to them, but it was soon apparent that they had continued north on Hwy H instead. Seminary Road is a good straight road once you cross the creek and I was able to make good time, arriving right behind Bourbon Fire Department, finding the Voss residence filled with heavy brown smoke. It took me a few minutes to find a parking spot off the roadway, which I knew would soon be filled with fire trucks, and in that time, Sullivan`s Pumper 854 arrived. As I walked up to the house, I stopped to talk to neighbor and good friend Don Moss, who had called in the alarm after driving up on the fire…Sullivan`s crew joined Bourbon`s crew and entered the basement via the back stairway, where much of the heavy smoke appeared to be coming from….

04 Crews Open Door to Basement

05 BFD & SFD Crews Enter Basement

06 BFD & SFD Crews Enter Basement08 Heavy Smoke From Basement

…while Daniel Whatley, Bourbon`s Chief, and his brother Jared Boast, waited outside prepared to hump more hose inside the house if needed, assisted by MOBAP paramedics…additional firefighters from Bourbon and Sullivan arrived and found additional locations inside the attached garage where the fire had extended to….

13 Kimker Enters Garage Door14 Cutting Garage Door

15 Entering Garage Door by Saw

…and once the garage door is cut open by saw, heavy smoke pours from the garage…..

17 Heavy Smoke From Garage

20 Heavy Smoke From Garage

…and firefighters enter the garage with a hoseline in seek of fire extension….

24 BFD Crews Enter Garage

29 BFD Crews Enter Garage

32 BFD Crews Enter Garage

35 BFD Crews Enter Garage

 

40 BFD Crews Enter Garage

Soon after, a positive pressure fan is set up at the back stairway entry door and soon smoke is starting to pour from every exit and lightening up as well, a good sign….the Voss residence saved by great teamwork by three neighboring agencies….

42 BFD Crews Enter Garage