Fires heavily damage two homes

By By Clif Knight, Hartselle Enquirer
Fires caused heavy structural and smoke damage to two Hartselle residences within a three-day period over the past week, according to reports logged by Hartselle Fire Department.
An unidentified woman received second and third degree burns in a fire at the 811 Bethel Road home of Donald Ray Bolan on Monday night
Hartselle firefighters answered a call to the home at 7:47 p.m. They found a fire located in the rear of the frame house. Using two engine companies and a ladder truck, they worked for nearly two hours to extinguish the blaz/ and remove the smoke from the house. Heavy structural and smoke damage was reported. The cause of the fire was not determined.
On Friday, Jan. 16, the brick home of Mark Echols at 727 Larkwood Circle received heavy structural and smoke damage due to a fire that swept through the living room, kitchen and carport.
Hartselle Firefighters answered a call to the Echols home at 7:13 p.m. They found the house fully involved in flames when they arrived and worked over two hours with two engine companies and a ladder truck to extinguish the blaze. The Echols family was not home when the fire occurred.
The incident report indicated that the fire resulted from a piece of furniture being too close to a wall heater.
The fire department reported receiving 14 emergency calls during a 24- hour period beginning Friday and ending Saturday morning.
Captain Larry Vest offered homeowners some sound advice on keeping the home fire-safe during cold weather, as follows: Don’t leave portable heaters on when the house is unoccupied; don’t place furniture close to wall heaters; inspect and service smoke detectors regularly; change filters of central heating and cooling units regularly; and have the central cooling and heating unit inspected and serviced at least once a year.