Fire Chief: No Delay, Water Shortage During Sunday's Destructive Fire
By: KARK 4 News
Updated: February 4, 2013
Mayflower's Fire Chief is answering to concerns about the departments response during a huge fire that destroyed two homes Sunday and damaged two more.
It took 6 minutes from the first 9-1-1 call to dispatch the fire department. Then the chief says it took them 16 minutes to get the scene. That's pretty quick, he says, given that the department is all volunteer.
Still, some say, they think at least one home could have survived, if the response was more swift.
"We have nothing," said Susan Elliott, as she surveyed the damage of her boyfriend's home.
Susan Elliott says it's the irreplaceable keepsakes and mementos she'll miss most, burned to rubble in her home on Mallard Cove in Mayflower Sunday.
"I never thought that my house would be on fire," Elliott said.
The fire is not suspicious, firefighters say, but it burned very hot and fast.
Everyone managed to get out okay, except for a few family pets.
Monday, smoke still wafted from the ashes. What remains: charred belongings and many questions.
"It turned into a nightmare, a real nightmare," said Wade Booth.
Some people in the area claim there was a delay in dispatch.
"I got out here and called 9-1-1 and they put my on hold and then transferred me to someone who had no idea what was going on."
Others say firefighters ran out of water.
But chief Carl Rossini says it isn't so.
"we never ran out of water on the scene," Chief Rossini said.
A mutual aid agreement created last year, Chief Rossini says meant they were immediately backed up by other departments.
And even though they had to run hose to a large hydrant a quarter mile away, he says water was in great supply.
"Everything went as well as possible," he said.
As they see everything gone, Elliott says, now, they simply have to move on.
"God's gonna protect us, it'll be okay," said Elliott.
Lake Conway is directly behind those homes. Chief Rossini says while they do have equipment that can pump water from a lake to fight fires, they couldn't do it this time, because their access to the lake was blocked.
It took 6 minutes from the first 9-1-1 call to dispatch the fire department. Then the chief says it took them 16 minutes to get the scene. That's pretty quick, he says, given that the department is all volunteer.
Still, some say, they think at least one home could have survived, if the response was more swift.
"We have nothing," said Susan Elliott, as she surveyed the damage of her boyfriend's home.
Susan Elliott says it's the irreplaceable keepsakes and mementos she'll miss most, burned to rubble in her home on Mallard Cove in Mayflower Sunday.
"I never thought that my house would be on fire," Elliott said.
The fire is not suspicious, firefighters say, but it burned very hot and fast.
Everyone managed to get out okay, except for a few family pets.
Monday, smoke still wafted from the ashes. What remains: charred belongings and many questions.
"It turned into a nightmare, a real nightmare," said Wade Booth.
Some people in the area claim there was a delay in dispatch.
"I got out here and called 9-1-1 and they put my on hold and then transferred me to someone who had no idea what was going on."
Others say firefighters ran out of water.
But chief Carl Rossini says it isn't so.
"we never ran out of water on the scene," Chief Rossini said.
A mutual aid agreement created last year, Chief Rossini says meant they were immediately backed up by other departments.
And even though they had to run hose to a large hydrant a quarter mile away, he says water was in great supply.
"Everything went as well as possible," he said.
As they see everything gone, Elliott says, now, they simply have to move on.
"God's gonna protect us, it'll be okay," said Elliott.
Lake Conway is directly behind those homes. Chief Rossini says while they do have equipment that can pump water from a lake to fight fires, they couldn't do it this time, because their access to the lake was blocked.
