Deweyville family Thanksgiving dinner interrupted by fire
Published 4:10 pm Friday, November 24, 2017
By Eric Williams
The Orange Leader
A Deweyville family and their three guests had their Thanksgiving Day dinner interrupted when a fire broke out in the middle of eating. According to information from Newton County ESD #1 Fire Chief Mark McCall, five people were eating Thanksgiving Day dinner when a fire started in the kitchen area of the home.
The Newton County ESD #1 responded to report of a structure fire at 2835 County Road 4212 in Deweyville at approximately 3:24 p.m. Thanksgiving Day.
Upon arrival of the fire department McCall said he found smoke and flames coming from the center part of the roof connected to the chimney area.
The five people inside the residence and the dogs were able to escape the fire with no injuries.
Preliminary evidence shows that the fire appears to have started from a wood-burning stove inside the residence.
Two men inside the house attempted to fight the fire with a pressure washer until firefighters arrived on scene.
According to McCall, the men did a excellent job by fighting the fire and getting everyone else out of the house, but in spite their efforts the home does appear to be a total loss.
The home suffered major smoke, water, and fire damage during the fire.
A total of 16 fireman were on scene, and Newton County ESD#1 was assisted on scene by Orange County ESD #3 and 4 along with Acadian Ambulance Service.
The remaining structure caught on fire during the night resulting in a second response to the scene by Newton County ESD #1 at approximately 3 a.m. Friday morning.
“We pulled down all three remaining walls down to keep them from falling,” McCall said.