February 4, 2015 - The Center Fire Department was able to prevent the destruction of a home Wednesday, February 4, 2015 when they were dispatched to a house fire located in the James Community.
A resident of the home had stepped outside to make a phone call when he discovered smoke emanating from the house at 2:48pm. When the firemen arrived at the home, resided in by Garris and Nell Powell and located on CR 3156, smoke was billowing from the top of the tin roofed home. Firemen quickly entered the domicile and began searching for the origin of the fire in the attic.
As firemen searched within, other firemen used ladders to climb atop the roof and trace the smoke from above. The tin on the roof was peeled back revealing flames on which water was sprayed by the firemen on the roof and by those within the attic. The dual attack extinguished the flames and contained the fire to that one area of the roof thus, saving the home.
According to Center fireman Bobby Smith, the chimney to the fireplace in the home overheated. This caused the insulation and rafters around the chimney to catch fire and spread to the roof. Once the beams were exposed, it was discovered the fire had been building for some time and, previous to their arrival, appeared to have started and been snuffed out multiple times as it traveled up the rafters.
Before the firemen departed from the scene, Deep East Texas Cooperative representative Todd Clark arrived and disconnected the power to the home until repairs can be made.
