Firefighters Have Difficulty Putting Out Fire in House Filled with Boxes
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CAMDEN, Tenn. — A house fire leaves a Camden woman temporarily homeless. Firefighters said the house, filled with boxes, made the fire difficult to fight. The fire happened Saturday night around 7 o’clock and although it was small, the piles of boxes and trash in the woman’s house created obstacles for the firefighters. “With everything piled up its just hard to get in and out,” David May, 2nd Lieutenant for Morris Chapel Fire Department, said. May said when crews responded to the fire on Birdsong Road in Camden, it seemed like it would be easy to put out, until they tried to get in the door. “There was very little fire going and they had to go in through side door and it was pretty hectic just getting into the door itself,” May said. It then took them 3 and a half hours to put out the fire. May said one of the crew members had to tear down piles of items and trash to get to the electrical box. He also said maneuvering through the house according to protocol was difficult. May also added that getting the hose in the door was one of their first challenges, “You’re trying to go in and you can’t get by the door and you gotta let things go. Get around it and it’s trapping your hose..can’t get it to come in with you because the door shuts back on it.” The cause of the fire is still under investigation, but officials do say the fire was accidental. David May said everyone got out okay. “It turned out for the best, we had several units up here..We work together real well and come together and at least the house is still standing. No one was hurt.” The homeowner said she hopes to move back in as soon as possible. Officials said she will likely be able to move back in, but before that happens officials have to declare the house livable. Fire officials said at this time of year, most fires are from heaters and to make sure you keep items at least 3 feet away from them.
