The Monticello Fire Dept. responded to a house fire on East Willis Street, around 5 p.m., Friday afternoon.
Someone at the scene believed that the fire began in the area around the hot water heater.
It was believed, at the time of the fire, that a couple of pets were inside of home, but it was found out later that they were safely somewhere else at the time.
We would like to thank the Rock Springs Volunteer Fire Dept., and the friends and neighbors, who came out Saturday to help with the fire near our home.
We really appreciate everyone’s hard work in getting the fire under control quickly. Only a yard and field were burned.
We are blessed to have wonderful friends and neighbors. May God bless each of you & your families.
Around 9 o’clock Christmas night, Monticello firefighters responded to the call of a house fire at 351 Cherry Street. When they arrived, flames were blazing from the front of the home, and rising high above the roof.
The home appears to have been a total loss, and seems to have started in a front room, believed to be used as a bedroom.
The occupant told bystanders that he was not home when the fire began.
Just before 3 o’clock Monday morning, the Monticello Fire Dept. responded the the report of a house fire near the intersection of East Gaines and East McCloy. The home located on the north side of the street was fully engulfed as firefighter arrived on the scene.
Monticello Police and a Drew County Sheriff’s Deputy arrived, to close the street to traffic, until the fire was extinguished.
The home was reported occupied “from time to time” by a neighbor at the scene.
The Monticello Fire Dept. responded to the report of a house fire around 3 o’clock Saturday afternoon.
The house, located in the 500 block of South Speer Street, was located in a section of residences behind the streetside homes.
A neighbor told Monticello that he was watching the ballgame, and then heard a “loud boom”. Another person at the scene commented that “the house was gone in 3 minutes”.
The Arkansas Forestry Commission recently awarded $1,000 grants to six local volunteer fire departments. These grants are to be used to obtain firefighting equipment for the departments. There was a total of $250,920 set aside for the Volunteer Fire Assistance Grant program state wide in 2009. The grant application period will open again in June of 2010.
The Fire Departments receiving grants this year were Monticello, Lacey/Ladelle, Valley/Green Hill, Selma, Collins/Cominto, and Winchester.
Pictured left to right bottom row: Logan Fuqua, AFC; Randy Lane, AFC; Ralph Calhoun, Barkada VFD; Charles Lanehart, Barkanda VFD; David Bawcom, Valley/Green Hill VFD; Eric Myers, AFC; Joe Friend, District Forester; Back Row: Dale Pace, AFC; Greg Jones, Lacey/Ladelle VFD; Steven Faulkner, Monticello FD; Russ Morrison, Collins/Cominto VFD.
Friday, a vehicle attempting to cross a wide wake of water on Winchester Road was washed off the highway, prompting Monticello Fire & Rescue to respond. They were able to get the stranded motorist back to safe ground. They were also dispatched out again late Friday afternoon.
HWY 83, approximately a mile past Rose Hill Cut-off Road, is shown here. Notice the shoulder of the highway has been washed away by the fast moving flood waters that poured across the pavement.
The construction signs on HWY 278 can be seen at the far side of the bottom photo, taken Friday by a MonticelloLive reader.
Just before 4 o’clock Saturday morning, a call came in to Monticello PD Dispatch, reporting this residence on fire, in the 600 block of South Maple Street.
The Monticello Fire Dept. responded, as did the Police Dept. and Drew County Sheriff’s Dept.
The home appears to have been fully engulfed in flames, when the fire was noticed and reported.
Kyle Berryman has been announced as the “Firefighter of the Year” by the Monticello Fire Dept.
Berryman, shown here with Fire Chief Steven Faulkner, has been with the fire department for 3 years, with two of those years being a full time firefighter.
The Monticello City Council’s fire dept. location committee met Friday.
Fire Chief Steven Faulkner showed the group maps detailing 2008 and 2009 fire and accident calls, as well as a map designed by UAM students using GPS, which shows the location of all known city fire hydrants.
During a recent meeting, the group was told by an ISO expert, that the best location would be with the most fire hydrants within 1.5 miles of the station.
The Whaley property covers 210 hydrants within 1.5 miles; the Edgewood & Chapman area reaches 183: and the 2 North Hyatt St. spots would count only 175 and 135 fire plugs.
As the potential new fire station location moves west and/or north, the 1.5 mile perimeter begins to cover undeveloped areas that have no fire hydrants.
ISO ratings are based on a cumulative point system, including many factors such as personnel, equipment, stations, fire hydrants, and coverage areas. Read the rest of this entry »
At a recent City Council meeting, 4 members were chosen to serve on the “fire dept. location committee”. Those city council members were, Carolyn Brown, Raymond Hubbard, Sherrie Gillespie, and Beverly Hudson.
They, along with Mayor Joe Rogers and fire Chief Steven Faulkner toured Fire Station #3, which is located on Commerce Road, near Airport Road, and then looked at the W. C. Whaley site, a city owned lot at Patton and Edgewood (located behind Oakland Cemetary), and two privately owned parcels on N. Hyatt Street. Read the rest of this entry »
The Monticello Fire Dept. responded to the report of a mobile home fire, Sunday afternoon, at 2:37 p.m.
The trailer, which was located at 431 North Larkin Street, sustained a small amount of damaged, with an electrical fire being contained to an area above the hot water heater.
The house located at 424 East Jackson that was on fire Tuesday night at 9 o’clock, was on fire again this morning, around 2 a.m.
A 911 call came into MPD Dispatch, reporting the fire. When police arrived, the residence was fully engulfed. with fire endangering a nearby home as well.
This fire is being investiagated to determine the nature of the second fire.
State Representative Eddie Cheatham, who is a Crossett resident, but represents a part of Drew County at the state capitol, recently contacted Drew County Judge Damon Lampkin about the availability of $22,032.86 in state General Improvement Fund grants, that can be applied for, and will likely be distributed to the 9 fire depts. in Drew County.
The process included a required Inter-governmental Council meeting, which was held Monday, and was attended by Judge Lampkin, County Clerk Lyna Gulledge, Tillar Mayor Robert Landfair, Winchester Mayor Merle Jackson, Wilmar Mayor Curley Jackson, and Monticello Mayor Joe Rogers. State Representative candidate Sheilla Lampkin, and a city council member from Winchester were also present for the meeting.
The next step is to receive approval from the quorum court, which will meet September 21.
Each of the county’s 9 fire depts. should receive approximately $2,448.
The garage-front building, located at E. Gaines and Godfrey Streets, reportedly caught on fire around noon Saturday while someone was cleaning the area around the building.
The building had been described as an old gas station, but has seen very little activity in recent years.
The Monticello Fire Dept. responded, and extinguished the blaze.
This Dodge pick-up caught fire on HWY 425 South near Lacey, Friday afternoon, and due to the near full tank of gas, caused quite a scene, as the Monticello Fire Dept. fought the blaze.
According to Paul Outlaw, training coordinator for SEEMS, first responder personell completed the aircraft part of landing zone class Friday evening, at Ellis Field.
Departments represented in the group included SEEMS, Monticello Police Dept., Monticello Fire Dept, and the training crew from Air Evac.
Around 10 a.m., Friday, an East Watt Street man was attempting to mow his yard, when his mower caught on fire.
The mower’s owner felt the fire started because a new belt that he’d installed.
Many mower fires also begin because of gasoline being spilled while fuel-tanks are being filled, or re-filled, so keep this in mind, because some things are worse than having to mow the yard.
The Monticello Fire Dept. and Police Dept. responded, and the fire was quickly extinguished.
A resident of 364 Winchester Road was cooking an early morning snack around 1 a.m. Saturday, when a fire blazed up, setting the kitchen area of the home on fire.
The Monticello Fire Dept. responded, and extinguished the fire, but the bulk of the damage had already been done to the kitchen an an adjoining room.
MASI arrived on the scene, and checked a burn on the occupant’s arm, but he remained at the scene.
Around 2 a.m., a fire report was phoned into the Monticello fire dept, reporting a house fire at 138 Locust Circle.
The firefighters responded in full force, and battled the blaze while a pouring rain fell, until the fire controlled.
It seems that the fire began in the kitchen area, since that is where the most damage was done.
Upon arrival, the flames were blazing out of the back of the home, as seen by the first photo, then was fought down til flames blazed out of the carport side attic air-vent, the fire continued in the attic, showing itself through the west-end “whirlybird”, before being extinguished.
At 11:18 p.m., Monday night, a report of a house fire was called into MPD dispatch.Â
The Monticello Fire Dept. respnded to the fire, which was located at a vacant residence in the 300 block of of East Oakland, across the street from another recently burned out shell of a vacant house. Nearby two other houses sit, burned out, in the same neighborhood.Â
Last night’s fire is being investigated as an arson, by the fire dept.; the home was empty, and had no utility service, which describes the scenerio of a couple of the other nearby fires.
Around 30 motorcycles were escorted into Monticello, Saturday afternoon, by our local police and fire dept. units, with full lights and sirens.
The event, organized by Eddie Hodges, a member of the HWY 15 South Volunteer Fire Dept., and a member of the Jefferson County Mutual Aid Fire Association, was held to honor all of south Arkansas’ firefighters, police officers, and related fields of emergency service.
The day began at Walmart in Pine Bluff with a Safety Day, with around 30 motorcyclists taking part. The group traveled HWY 63 South to HWY 35; then south on I-530 to HWY 278, before meeting on Monticello’s Walmart for photos and short break.
The Monticello Police Dept. was represented by Lt. Steven Stain; the Monticello Fire Dept. was represented by Cpt. Eric Chisom
The video was taken near Cablevision, as they were returning to Pine Bluff.
The Monticello City Council approved the Monticello Economic Development Commission to apply for a grant for the construction of a new fire department through FEMA during its regular session June 4. Read the rest of this entry »
The Monticello Police Dept. sent an officer to Springfield, MO, Friday, to pick up the man who inplicated with a fire inside of Monticello’s  Super 8 Motel, in late September.