Monticello Live

Friday night, around 7 o’clock, an ambulance crew from SEEMS was returning to Monticello from Little Rock, after transfferring a patient.

As the ambulance came through Montongo, it struck a deer in the highway.  No one in the ambulance was injured.

Drew County Sheriff’s deputies worked the accident, C&L Wrecker towed the vehicle. 

On Thursday afternoon, the Monticello Fire Dept. was paged out to Auto Mart on HWY 425 South to put out a vehicle fire, that was blazing in a roll-back wrecker at the dealership. MPD also responded.

Around 2:30, Saturday afternoon, a forest fire was reported in the southern part of Drew County.

For several hours, the fire was moving north on two separate fronts, and south, with another fire wall, centered around Gates/Mainline Road, between the south section of Midway Route and Collins Line Road, about 15-20 miles from Monticello.

Local fire departments were standing by area deer camps and watch for road crossings, while 2 planes were dropping water, another plane guiding the firefighters, and 9 fire-plows were also working to extinguish the blazes.

Around 7:30, Saturday night,  it was estimated the the fire was 50% contained, and that the planes and plows would be able to contain and control the remaining fire; and at 9 pm Arkansas Forestry Commission crews reported that the fire had been contained. (more…)

Monticello Firefighters Spent 6 hours Battling "Old Bradley Mill" Fire in Warren, Saturday Night. Photo by David Forrest, of the Guesthouse.

On a day when emergency personnel are recognized across the nation, our local fire dept, police officers, sheriff’s deputies, state troopers, and both ambulance services were busy proving how important they are to our community.

Here’s a portion of their day…….

Before midnight Friday, Monticello Fire & Rescue was paged out to a single car wreck on HWY 293 near Selma, where an Oldsmobile’s 3 passengers needed them.  Arkansas State Troopers worked the wreck, assisted by Drew County Sheriff’s Deputies.  SEEMS transported the 3 victims to Drew Memorial.  Although it turns out that Fire & Rescue weren’t needed, the caller who reported the crash believed the 3 victims were pinned inside the vehicle.

Prior to this Arkansas State Troopers had made 3 DWI arrests late in the evening, protecting Drew County drivers.

4 am Car Crash on Barkada Road, Saturday.

Around 4am, Saturday morning, a Chrysler 300 crashed into a tree, 4 miles out, on Barkada Road.  The person who called this in reported that the driver was still inside the car, and it looked like the car was on fire.  Fire & Rescue were called out to save the crash victim.  When Drew County Deputies arrived on the scene, with Fire & Rescue right behind them, it was discovered that the “possible fire” was “air bag dust”, but at 4 in the morning, the caller couldn’t tell.  MASI transported the driver to DMH.  Triple A towed the vehicle.

First Responders Recognized by Local Veterans at Flag Dedication Ceremony at 1st Baptist Church

Several of our emergency personnel were recognized for their dedication and service, during a flag and flagpole dedication at First Baptist Church at 10 o’clock, by our local veteran’s organizations and Woodmen of the World.

House Fire at Dead Man's Curve, Saturday, 12:45.

Many of them attended a Community Prayer Rally at the Drew County Courthouse at noon, but were called out to a double-wide mobile home at 12:45, which was called in “the cars are there, but no one is standing outside.”  The photo shows how engulfed the structure was when it was called in.  Firefighters battled the blaze for 4 hours, hauling water from Carpenter Road, 1.5 miles away, until the fire was out.  Also worth noting, SEEMS came to the scene, “just in case” there would’ve been someone inside who needed medical care, and also, Sheriff Gober, an off-duty auxiliary deputy, and an area constable were at the fire, in case they were needed.

SEEMS Displayed a U. S. Flag on their Ambulance, in Honor of 9/11, Saturday

After getting the trucks ready for their next call, whatever it may be, and a very late lunch (at around 4:30), they got to sit down for the first time all day.

Unfortunately, that wasn’t the end of the day for the Monticello Fire Dept.  The “Old Bradley Mill” in Warren caught on fire around 11 pm, Saturday night, and they were called to assist Warren’s Fire Dept.  Monticello’s firefighters arrived back at the fire-station 6 hours later.

Throughout the day, our Monticello Police and Drew County Sheriff’s Deputies answered calls of all types, around the clock.  SEEMS and MASI were on duty, providing their services, as always, at a moments notice.   The emergency room staff at Drew Memorial were ready and waiting, for whatever illness or injury came through the door next.

There wasn’t a minute of the day that there wasn’t a dispatcher standing by take you call, in case of emergency at MPD, ready to send whichever of these dedicated public workers your way, in your time of need.

As we look back on 9/11/2001, we should also recognize that same dedication that our Drew County emergency personel serve us with.

A fire at Warren’s “Old Bradley” Mill last night, apparently destroyed a large portion of the facility, and led to fire departments from around the area to be called out to assist.

The Monticello Fire Dept. responded to the blaze, and assisted throughout the night, and returned to Monticello around 5 am, this morning.

No details are available at this time, but Warren Fire Dept. is still on the scene, putting out blazes and hot-spots.

A local family seems to have lost everything, due to a Saturday afternoon fire that destroyed their home on HWY 278 East, near the road construction area around Dead Man’s Curve.

No one was home when the fire began, and flames were rising high into the air, before a passing driver saw the fire.

The Monticello Fire Dept. responded, and battled the blaze, while hauling water to the scene from a hydrant near Carpenter Road.

Princess, the family’s dog, died during the fire.

Just after midnight, calls began coming into Monticello dispatch, reporting a tractor-trailer engulfed in flames on HWY 278 West, between the city limits and the sports complex.

Drew County Sheriff’s Deputies and the Monticello Fire Dept responded, to find the trailer of the big-rig (containing an estimated 40,000 of Uncle Ben’s rice products) on fire, on the shoulder of the highway.

The driver had unhooked the tractor from the trailer, and pulled it to safety.

After extinguishing the outside blazes, the firefighters then had to unload the back section of the trailer by hand, in order to get to the area of the floor and wall that were still a “hot spots”.

They then had to re-load the damaged product back onto the trailer by hand, in order to re-open that section of the roadway.

Triple A Towing was called to move the remains of the trailer off of the highway.

The driver picked up the load of rice products in Greenville, MS, and was to deliver it to Mesquite, TX.

While most Drew County residents were in bed by midnight Monday night, several of our local Rural Fire Dept. were hard at work, serving Drew County residents.

Just before midnight, a call came in, reporting a house fire on Johnson Street, in Reed.  Reed, Tillar, Winchester, and Selma Fire Dept. all responded to the fire.  Reports are that most of the damage was limited to smoke and water damage.

Just a few minutes later, Wilmar’s fire dept. was called out to batle a blaze on Towler Lane.

Not many people realize, but we all should appreciate the dedicated work of all of our local fire departments, many times risking their lives, while the rest of us are comfortable in our beds.

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. (more…)

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.

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. (more…)

At approximately 2 p.m., Thursday afternoon, a fire was reported at the Jerome Bio-Refinery, on HWY 165 South, in Drew County.

While the origin of the fire is unknown, it seems to have began while seed trucks were being unloaded, and produced much more smoke that fire.

Workers nearby noticed smoke, and called for the manager, who quickly responded. The aeration fan was turned on, and authorities were notified.

During the afternoon, the cottonseed was separated and moved outside of the building, and the product in the area of the fire was hosed down, and coated with a dust reducing agent, according to Drew County Emergency Manager, Bill Horn.

Around 9 p.m., most of the fire-fighting crews were sent home, while a couple trucks remained on the scene to keep watch over the remaining cottonseed, and keep check on the “chute” where any fire may remain.  That “chute” is a product transportation system that moves the product from the truck and shipping area, into a storage area.

According to Gary Sullivan, manager of Jerome Bio-Refinery, there were no injuries. Sullivan reported, “we’ve had 2 or 3 minor flare-ups, but haven’t had a flash-over”, and added, “It looks a whole lot worse than it really is.” (more…)

Monticello Fire Chief Steven “Blue” Faulkner went on what so many times may be considered a “normal fire call” to a trailer fire in the back of the mobile home park in the 500 block of Winchester Road, Sunday around 4:15 p.m., and arrived just in front of the fire trucks.

Upon arrival, someone nearby was heard saying, “I think there’s a man still in there.”

Faulkner went to the front door, opened it, and didn’t get any response; then did the same at the back door: he then knocked on the front window.  The house was filled with smoke too much to just enter and begin looking, without breathing equipment.

When he knocked on the front window, he had woken up the sleeping man, who began calling out.  Faulkner then returned to the back door, near where the man was, and entered the burning home. 

Faulkner told MonticelloLive, “He was close to the door, but fell backwards, when the door opened.  I just went in and brought him out.”

Monticello Police Sargent Carlos Garcia, who also responded to the call to assist with traffic, said, “Faulkner definitely saved that man’s life.”

MPD Patrolman Mark Grant, who also serves as fireman, added, “one thing about “Blue” is that he won’t ask you to do anything that he won’t do, and he proved that this afternoon.”

Faulkner, trying not to draw attention to himself, said, “I didn’t go that far inside.”

Once again, one of Monticello’s First Responder’s has done something that has saved or changed someone’s life. 

Once again, we all need to thank, not only Faulkner, but all of our law enforcement, firefighters, ambulance workers, and others who run towards the emergency situations, that everyone else runs away from.

I am so glad that no one was seriously injured in (Wedneday’s) tornado.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to all the people that sustained injuries or damages.

During these times, we should all appreciate our local law enforcement agencies, fire and rescue, and ambulance services for their dedication and quick response times in these situations. These men and women put their lives on the line everyday, and put themselves in harms way to make sure that the rest of us are protected and get the help that we need.

Sometimes, we forget that when we are taking shelter from these storms, that these people are out there right in them.

Thanks to everyone involved who did such a fantastic job during this emergency!

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This comment was posted Thursday under the tornado damage story, and was worthy of  “top of the page” attention.

Captain Eddy Deaton of the Monticello Police Dept. wishes to recognize patrolman Kenny Cox for his actions Sunday afternoon, in attempting to extinguish a fire caused by an overturned b-b-q grill at an apartment on HWY 278 West, while armed only with a standard garden hose.

The Fire Dept. soon arrived and the fire was put out.

Steve Faulkner has been named as Chief of the Monticello Fire Dept.

Faulkner is a lifelong resident of the Monticello area, and is a 10 year member of the fire dept.  He also is an auxililary member of the police dept.

Steve also has a year’s experience serving as interim fire chief.

Faulkner is married to Lea, and they have 2 sons, Alex and Logan.

Pixy Princess Winner-Brittany Thompson

1st runner up-Dailyn Johnston

2nd runner up & Photogenic-Kaitlhyn Maloney

Pixy Miss Drew Coumty Pageant Winner-Charlee Carter

1st runner up-Lauren Nicole Brown

2nd runner up & Photogenic-Skyler McKane Ashley

(more…)

The almost annual Monticello Police vs. Fire Dept. softball game was held last Saturday, and was played in honor of Sgt. Larry Smith, of the Monticello Police Dept.

Larry was there for the game, and threw out the ceremonial first pitch.

The police won the event by a final score of 10-5.

Although the P.D.-F.D. grudge match was the “Main Event” of the day, their game was only the opening game of the tournament.

The next game of the day pitted Journey Church taking on the First Assembly of God team.

First Assembly’s team won that game, and then defeated the police squad in the tournament championship.

 

Photos by Susan Hollinger.

(more…)

This deer camp, located approximately one mile south of HWY 278 East, on Sixteenth Section Road was destroyed by fire, around 10 p.m. Friday night.

The building was totally engulfed, with flames coming through the roof, when the fire dept. arrived.

The Monticello Fire Dept., Drew County Sheriff’s Dept., and Arkansas State Police responded to the blaze.

Last week it became official, when Randy Pogue, of Greenbrier, visited Monticello on behalf of the Arkansas Forestry Commission, and signed over ownership of the “new to Monticello” 1989 Pierce Arrow ladder truck with a 105 foot ladder.

One of the features of the new unit, is that is has a remotely controlled nozzle, with a maximum output of around 1000 gallons per minute.

Shown here, members of the Monticello Fire Dept., Fire Chief Steve Faulkner,  Randy Pogue, MEDC Director Truman Hamilton, local Forestry Agent Joe Friend, and Mayor Joe Rogers.

The estimated value of the ladder truck is around $400,000, if it were to be purchased.

The grant was a part of the Federal Excess Property Program, which has distributed 412 vehicle throughout the state of Arkansas, and has sent aid to 70 of Arkansas’ 75 counties.

Monticello’s Fire Dept.’s new ladder truck came in today.

The 105 foot reach ladder truck was the result of an application that was made to a grant program, involving the Arkansas Forestry Commission.

The unit had been involved in the Navy’s station at Corpus Christi, TX, where our firefighters went to pick the truck up, and drove it to Monticello, arriving around 4 p.m. this afternoon.

Notice the size of the vehicle compared to the men standing next to it.

6 pieces of logging equipment were totally destroyed by fire Monday night, and the fire is being investigated as a suspected arson by the Arkansas State Police and the Drew County Sheriff’s Dept.  All 9 pieces of equipment had fires set in or on them, causing over $1 million damage. (more…)