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Monday a busy, exhausting day for firefighters
The day started with a call at 8:04 a.m. of a house fireon Walker Road in Rayle. Firefightersfrom Rayle, led by Chief Brent Sherrer, brought their engine and tanker, backed up by firefightersfrom Washington led by Assistant Chief Darrell Rogers and Capt. C.J. Gilland responded to the fireat 338 Walker Road, the residence of Douglas Williams. Firefightersfound the house fully involved from a source on the righthand side of the building. The crew of Engine 7 tried to knock down the flames, then mounted an interior attack, but had to withdraw when the ceiling collapsed. The firewas under control within 30 minutes, and firefightersworked for two hours to overhaul the fire. Williams was not at home at the time of the fire. He arrived just as firefighters were putting out the last flames. The frame home was a complete loss, and was uninsured, Chief Alan Poss said. His department contacted the Red Cross to locate help for the resident. While they were finishing up the Rayle fire, the alarm went out at 10:43 for a fireat Callaway Farms Manufacturing on Harris Road south of Washington. "All our firefighterswent straight from one fireto the next," Poss said, "and I put out a general alarm for every other firefighterand volunteer in the county." Engine 2 arrived at the plant to finda smoky fireburning in a wood chip pile inside the plant. Fire fighters used their thermal imaging device to findthe flame, then used the truck's water cannon to knock down the fire. Fire fighters then took lines inside to put out more burning wood chips in and around the plant's equipment. It took the firefighters some two hours to findand put out isolated pocket of smoldering embers. Poss said that sparks from welding may have ignited wood dust, but that an investigation is ongoing. Fire fighters returned to the station about 1 p.m. and cleaned their equipment for an hour. Then, at 2:50 p.m. the call for another structure firebrought them out again. The firethis time was on Pecan Grove Road, in the home of Melba Hill. Once again, Rayle firefighters took the lead, with Washington units joining in. The arrived to find the house some 30 percent involved, with the fireapparently starting on the back porch and extending into the house, Poss said. The resident had been at home, but escaped after calling 911. The house fire also set woods afire,and a Georgia Forestry aircraft helped Tignall firefighters locate and put out the woods firebefore it reached other homes. After another two-hour battle, firefighters had put out the fires. The cause was undetermined, Poss said, but was apparently accidental. The home was badly damaged, and the owner had no insurance.
It was the busiest day Wilkes County firedepartments have seen in a long time, he said. "Our firefighters were stretched pretty thin all day, but I'm proud of them - they worked hard all day, especially Rayle and Washington."
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