December 2, 2020
By:
The Alexandria Fire Department responded to a house fire at around 7 a.m. Tuesday morning.
According to Assistant Fire Chief John Partridge, the fire was discovered by the Alexandria Police Department. Police Chief Chris Russell spotted smoke and found the fire at a house on Shady Lane with heavy smoke coming from the eaves of the attic.
Chief Russell notified DeKalb Central Dispatch who then paged the Alexandria Fire Department along with the DeKalb County Fire Department as part of the Automatic Aid Agreement between the jurisdictions. The Smithville Fire Department was also summoned to respond with their Ladder Truck but the request was cancelled while the Smithville truck was enroute as the fire was brought under control.
Assistant Chief Partridge said the first arriving responders found an unoccupied home with heavy fire in two rooms and throughout the attic. The blaze was attacked from outside initially to knock the bulk of the flames down. Firefighters then made their way inside to the room where the fire started to extinguish it completely.
No one was home at the time. In fact the structure had been vacant for an extended period of time although electricity was still connected to the building. An investigation revealed that the fire started due to some type of electrical failure around a wall outlet.
Nineteen members from both fire departments responded along with three engines.