Intense heat and billowing smoke and fire consumed the home of the Richmond family of Fairfield on Thursday, February 8, 2018.
The two-story home, located on the northwest corner of Mount and College streets was a total loss.
Fairfield Volunteer Fire Department Chief Matt Foree says the call came in just before 4:00 p.m. that afternoon and within 12 minutes the fire grew from being inside only to raging flames coming from the roof.
“The heat was so intense that it melted the protective film on our helmets and turned my white helmet black, explains Chief Foree. “Those helmets are designed to withstand heat up to 500 degrees.”
The fire took five hours to extinguish; and though firefighters made several attempt to push into the home, the heat was just too high.
“Finally, we had to switch from offensive attack to defensive, then to aerial, in order to try to protect the other homes around it,” says Chief Foree.
Responding to the scene were Fairfield, Teague, Dew, Streetman, and Butler Volunteer Fire Departments. All of which were dealing with a shortage of personnel.
Fairfield was first to arrive, with only two firefighters available. One had to operate the truck, leaving only one to fight the fire, which is highly dangerous. For the first ten minutes, the fire was fought in this manner until backup arrived.
Also responding to the scene were Fairfield EMS, Fairfield Police Department, Constable-Pct. 1 Buck Bonner, Freestone County Sheriff’s Office, and Texas DPS.
Mr. Richmond was at home when he noticed smoke in the home; and he contacted 911. No injuries were reported in this incident.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation by the State Fire Marshalls.
It is important to note that investigations of this nature help to determine the cause of a fire in order to prevent other fires in the future.
