January 6, 2023
By: Dwayne Page
A space heater may have been the source of a structure fire that destroyed a home in Dowelltown Friday morning.
DeKalb County Fire Fighters were summoned to the home of Ms. Terry Ricketts at 242 Corley Street at 6:06 a.m.
“Upon arrival firefighters found one end of the home heavily involved with flames showing through the roof and eaves. Firefighters confirmed that everyone had safely evacuated, after a neighbor alerted Ms. Ricketts that her home was on fire, and there were no injuries. There was a neighboring home, a storage shed, and an outbuilding threatened by exposure, but fire crews were able to successfully extinguish the fire and protect those structures. However, the home and contents were a complete loss. Indications are that the fire possibly originated from a space heater in the utility room,” said DeKalb County Fire Chief Donny Green.
The Liberty, Main, Temperance Hall, and Cookeville Highway stations responded, along with the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Department and DeKalb County Emergency Medical Services.