Monticello Live

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.

Thank You,
John & Brenda Ellingsburg

Monticello Fire Department firefighters Steve Hood and Jack Thiele graduated from the Arkansas Fire Training Academy, last Friday.

Congratulations to both men for their accomplishments.

The Monticello Fire Dept. responded to the report of a mobile home on fire, Friday evening around 5 p.m.

The fire was located on New Light Road, near Midway Route.

The fire is believed to have started in a wood stove.

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.

The Monticello Fire Dept. has been busy lately, answering grass fire calls.  This photo was taken near Rose Hill Cut Off Road and HWY 83, on Friday.

They also responded, Wednesday, to this fire on Old Troy Road, near Price Lumber Co., where a power line was down.

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 house was reportedly vacant.

Bobby Ray Sawyer, of the Monticello Fire Dept., recently graduated from the Fire Training Academy in Camden.

Sawyer has been a full-time firefighter for around a year, and had served as a volunteer fireman for two years prior to that.

Congratulations to Bobby Ray Sawyer.

Portions of the Fire Training Academy were destroyed by the tornado that hit Camden a couple of weeks ago.

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.

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 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.

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.

The home of Bruce & Margie Savage, located at 156 Beard Hill, just off of Barkada Road was destroyed by fire during the early morning hours, Tuesday.

THE MONTICELLO FIRE DEPARTMENT IS NOW ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS FOR VOLUNTEER FIREFIGHTERS

APPLICATIONS MAY BE PICKED UP IN PERSON AT THE CENTRAL FIRE STATION MONDAY–FRIDAY 8:00 AM–5:00 PM

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.

This photo was taken (from a safe distance) and submitted to MonticelloLive by one of our readers, and will be entered in the $100 Monthly Reader Photo/News Tip Contest.

A fire was called into the MPD dispatch just before 5:30 a.m., Sunday morning, reporting this house fire at the corner of Conley and East Shelton St.

The Monticello fire dept. responded, but the house was fully engulfed when the call came in.

It is unknown if anyone was home at the time of the fire.

Read the rest of this entry »

An early morning fire was reported by a neighbor of a camp-type residence on Enon-Dean Road, Tuesday morning at 6:38.

When the neighbor heard thunder, he looked out his window, and saw the structure fully engulfed in flames, with the roof already collapsing.

Monticello Fire Dept. responded, along with Collins-Cominto Fire Dept. to control the blase.

The structure was totaly destroyed by the fire.

Dale “Woo” Jones, of the Monticello Fire Dept. is celebrating another birthday today.

Best wishes from all of the folks at the fire & police departments. Read the rest of this entry »

An Ellis Street mobile home, near South Gabbert Street,  was destroyed by fire, around 9 p.m., Saturday night.

Monticello Fire and Police Departments responded to the blaze, which did major damage to the north end of the residence.

Upon arriving on the scene, there was a concern that someone remained inside of the home, but that proved to be incorrect.

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. 

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. 

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.