January 5, 2016 - The Center Fire Department was dispatched to a structure fire on State Highway 7 East in the James Community 1 mile from FM 2608 on New Years Eve December 31, 2015.
When the firemen arrived at the scene around 7:30pm, a house owned by James H. Smith was engulfed in flames and the fire was fully involved. The firemen began dragging hose and working to extinguish the fire while neighbors and passersby tried to make contact with the homeowner. Another firemen with the Joaquin Volunteer Fire Department was on scene and as the CFD pumper began running low on water, he headed to Joaquin to get another truck on the way while another CFD truck en-route.
When the next CFD truck arrived, the house was emitting so much heat that the firemen had to drench the fire truck with water to prevent it from receiving damage from the fire. The firemen sprayed the home with water on the front and back and as more trucks arrived from Joaquin Volunteer Fire Department they focused on main hot spots. Until the power company could arrive to disconnect the power, firemen were stationed near the down power lines to prevent anyone stepping on them.
During the fire, contact was made with Smith and it was learned for certain no one had been in the home at the time of the fire. Once the fire was mostly under control, JVFD returned to their station. Once the CFD firemen had the fire extinguished, they returned to the station at 9:35pm. The house was a total loss due to the fire and the cause of the fire is unknown at this time.
