June 2, 2025
By: Dwayne Page
A Sunday fire swept through and destroyed a home on Coconut Ridge Road.
DeKalb Fire Chief Donny Green said that the department was summoned to the scene at 3:05 p.m. and upon arrival found the structure well involved with fire venting through the back of the roof. Firefighters were challenged with lack of apparatus access due to the narrow one lane road and water supply in the remote area.
Although the structure was a complete loss, firefighters, Emergency Medical Services, the Sheriff’s Department, and the department’s rehab unit were on the scene for over six hours. No injuries were reported, and no other property was damaged. The cause of the fire is currently undetermined.
The Main, Cookeville Highway, Liberty, and Temperance Hall stations, Tanker 1, Tanker 2, Rehabilitation Unit, DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office, and DeKalb County Emergency Medical Services responded to the scene.
Special thanks to Domino’s in Smithville donating pizza to feed firefighters on scene.
Meanwhile on Saturday at approximately 10:36 a.m., the DeKalb County Fire Department was dispatched to 450 South Mill Street in Dowell town for a commercial structure fire.
According to Chief Green when firefighters arrived, they found two vehicles fully ablaze inside the building. Crews quickly made an interior attack and extinguished the fire containing it to the area where the fire originated. There was significant smoke damage through the large building.
The staff at the facility reported they had been using a cutting tool to disassemble one of the vehicles when a spark from the tool ignited flammable materials nearby. One facility staff member onsite received minor burns to his hands but refused emergency medical services transport.
The Liberty, Temperance Hall, Main, and Cookeville Highway stations responded along with both tankers, DeKalb County Emergency Medical Services, and the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Department.