Crews tackle two fires, cold
By Kathy McCarty
Staff Writer
ASHLAND — Firefighters with the Ashland Fire Department were called out on two separate occasions on Monday, tackling flames while battling bitter temperatures as crews worked to keep lines from freezing.
“We were called to a structure fire on Watt Street around 12:45 p.m., to rental property owned by Pam and Eddie Lilley,” said Don Bouley, Ashland’s fire chief.
Bouley said when his crew arrived they found the underside of a mobile home fully involved.
“The owner was working on frozen pipes underneath the trailer when heating tape on the pipes shorted, causing a fire to start beneath the structure. When we arrived, the underside was ablaze and flames quickly spread to the walls,” said Bouley.
Bouley said the home was currently being rented but the occupants, whose names were not available, were not home at the time of the fire.
“The trailer’s still standing but is deemed a total loss,” Bouley said. “The trailer was insured but the contents were not.”
No sooner had firefighters cleared the scene than another call came in reporting a chimney fire.
“We received a second fire call around 4:15 p.m. of a chimney fire at a home on Cottage Road. We were able to extinguish that fire shortly after our arrival,” said Bouley, noting no serious damage, other than a little smoke, occurred in that case.
No injuries were reported in connection with either call, despite the cold.
“Monday was the coldest day we’ve had so far this winter. We were lucky. Cold weather is the worst time to have a fire — both for the owner and firefighters,” said Bouley.
