A Lamar County resident says Monroe County Emergency Services’ (MCES) rapid response helped prevent a structure fire in the Baggarley subdivision from potentially causing widespread damage on Tuesday, May 2.
Willow Way resident Lisa Sayers says a fire, which destroyed a nearby home at 115 Willow Way just inside Lamar County on May 2, could have resulted in extensive property and personal damage if MCES hadn’t arrived swiftly and put out the flames.
MCES firefighters from Station 2 (High Falls), Station 12 (Johnstonville) and Station 1 (Headquarters), along with the High Falls volunteer fire department, were among the first responders to the blaze, which caused the Willow Way home to become fully involved in the early afternoon hours of May 2. MCES crews were joined at the scene by Butts County and Lamar County units.
MCES Chief Matt Jackson said the burning home was located down a dirt road and was guarded by a creek. He said MCES firefighters put down 1,350 feet of three-inch wide supply line to access the fire and said it required an hour-and-a-half to put out the blaze.
But Sayers notes that the situation was more dire than that. She said the wind was gusting in excess of 30 miles per hour at times that day, and the fire was creeping ever closer to nearby power lines and a high tree canopy. Sayers said there over 100 homes in the Baggarley subdivision and another 60 to 100 in the neighboring Lakeview subdivision, where MCES accessed water.
“What they did was an absolutely amazing and superb job,” Sayers said of MCES’ fire units.
Sayers said even beyond what the first responders achieved last Tuesday, the past and present governmental leaders of Butts, Lamar and Monroe counties should be praised for establishing clear and effective interservice agreements that allow all three counties to work together to serve the High Falls community. Sayers noted that former Monroe County Commissioner Harold Carlisle was one of the primary initiators of the interservice fire support agreements between Monroe County and its neighbors.
While Jackson confirmed Monroe County’s existing interservice fire agreement with Lamar County dates back decades, it was recently renewed in 2022. Jackson said the initial emergency call came into Monroe County 9-1-1, and MCES firefighters didn’t know that the fire was in Lamar County until they were approaching the scene. However, he said the county line wouldn’t have stopped his units from immediately springing into action to put out the fire. But he noted that typically in a fire occurring in Lamar County, MCES would have waited for Lamar County fire officials to request assistance from MCES.
Sayers also thanked past supporters of MCES, the High Falls Volunteer Fire Department and the High Falls Lake Association, such as her longtime friend, Mel Suddeth, for their pre-planning and resources that help keep High Falls residents safe.
In addition, Sayers credited quick thinking from a neighbor, Kim Lewis, who spotted the smoke coming from the home and immediately called for emergency help. She said a resident of the burning house was not home at the time of the fire and said although the home was a total loss, it was “an incredible blessing” that no one, not even a pet, was injured.
Jackson said the cause of the fire is undetermined.
(Photos courtesy of Janice Slaughter)
