Tyrone VFD stops Lee kitchen fire with quick response

Homeowner Divenski Lee watches as fire fighters from Tyrone, Washington, and Rayle prepare to blow smoke from Lee's damaged home on the Greensboro Highway Monday evening. Quick response by the Tyrone Fire Department saved the Greensboro Road home of a Wilkes County commissioner and his family Monday evening.

Tyrone's Engine 6, manned by Joey Hunter, Russ Johnson, Bobby Standard, and Chief Billy Godwin arrived at the home of Wilkes County Commissioner Divenski Lee within four minutes of the 911 call made by his father, Esper Lee, who lives nearby.

"Nobody was home, my son went to get his boy at football practice," the elder Lee said, "and I looked up here and saw smoke. I called 911 and grabbed this hose."

Paged out at 5:49 p.m., Engine 6 arrived at 5:53 and fire fighters found smoke and flames coming through the center rear of the home's roof, Fire Chief Alan Poss reported. They attacked the fire through the front door, pushed the fire back, and put out flames in the ceiling and walls.

After the fire was out, fire fighters used a thermal imaging device to look for hot spots in the ceiling and walls, and de-smoked the home. Poss said the kitchen was badly damaged, and a hole was burned in the roof. There was smoke damage throughout.

Fire fighters on the scene believe the fire started on the stovetop, Poss said. In addition to firefighters from Tyrone, nine fire fighters from Washington's Station 1 and two from Rayle also responded to the fire.