Murfreesboro Fire & Rescue Department crews have been busy Monday morning, with two fire incidents within one hour’s time.
The first fire call came in just before 9:00 for a single-story house fire at 2107 Sulphur Springs Road. Districts 4, 6, and 7, Engine 1, and Rescue 8 responded to the structure. Upon arrival, crews discovered smoke coming from the home.
Crews geared up for search and rescue, believing that there might still be someone inside. They later determined that all residents were out of the home.
The fire was located in a bedroom and according to the Fire Marshal’s Office, it appeared accidental.
“Crews did an outstanding job containing the fire to the bedroom,” said Assistant Fire Marshal Tracy Summar.
The electric meter was pulled and gas was shut off to the home. The two residents will be displaced but were offered assistance from the American Red Cross.
“The smoke detector absolutely saved a life in this case,” said Summar. “The alarm sounded, waking the sleeping resident. She saw smoke and called 9-1-1.” He also added, “This is why it is so important to have working smoke detectors in your home.”
The second incident was a machine fire at Paulo Products located at 1307 Rutledge Way. Districts 1 and 2 responded just after 10:00 Monday morning.
A significant amount of smoke was coming from what is called a “wheelabrator” which is used to separate dust from metal shavings. This was the second time crews responded to Paulo Products this year. The same machine caught fire on October 21.
According to Assistant Fire Marshal Summar, ironically, the fire appears to have started as the result of drilling into the machine to install a fire suppression system. “The hot shavings sparked, causing the machine to ignite,” he said.
No one was injured during the incident and crews have since been released.