All posts by : Karl Hall & Jacob Damskov

At 7:55 AM on Sunday, December 4th, 2022, Red Springs Fire, Lindale Fire, and Dixie Fire were dispatched to the 12700BLK of FM 14 for a report of smoke and flames coming from a residence. Red Springs quickly advised smoke could be seen while en route.

Minutes later, Arp Command 1 arrived on scene, followed by Red Springs Fire, reporting smoke and flames were visible. Heavy fire was seen protruding from the front of the structure. Red Springs quickly began an offensive fire attack with immediate results, confining the fire to the front of the home.

At 8:06 AM, Jackon Heights Fire was requested for additional manpower and resources. Within the next 10 minutes, positive control of the fire was secured, and a secondary search was completed. 

Oncor and the Smith County Fire Marshal’s Office were also notified to respond. 

All units were clear from the scene just after 9:30 AM. Firefighters did a fantastic job containing and extinguishing the fire while UT EMS was on standby in the case of any injury. All occupants were out of the home, and no injuries were reported.

Responding departments/agencies are as follows: Red Springs Fire, Lindale Fire, Dixie Fire, Arp Fire, Jackson Heights Fire, and UT EMS. Great work, ladies and gentlemen!

At 8:08 PM on Tuesday, November 29th, Dixie Fire, Noonday Fire, Flint Fire, and UT EMS were dispatched to a report of a house on fire with smoke and flames visible at the 9200BLK of E Lakeshore Dr just off HWY 31 W. It was originally reported that not all occupants were out of the house. It was soon reported that all occupants were out of the house, with the exception of the owner’s pets. 

Moments later, a nearby Smith County Fire Marshal reported seeing a large glow and black smoke from HWY 31 W and Greenbriar Rd. Seconds later, Noonday Engine 1 arrived on scene and advised there was a two-story brick residential structure with large flames visible. Smith County ESD2’s Battalion Chief 1 immediately requested Chandler Fire. Moments later, Noonday Engine 2 arrived, followed by Flint/Gresham Fire and Dixie Fire. Fire suppression was then started through the front door.

After the Battalion Chief’s assessment of the scene, Lindale Fire was dispatched to the scene for additional apparatus and manpower. Shortly thereafter, he asked dispatch to request any available unit in the area to respond to the scene for additional manpower. 

Crews quickly gained control of the blaze, attacking the fire from all angles. Progress was made on the interior of the house while other crews worked on extinguishing fire that had spread to the rear of the structure. 

For the next hour and a half, crews remained on scene, spraying hot spots to ensure no fire would reignite. All units were clear from the scene just before midnight. No injuries were reported. The pet’s condition is unknown at the time of this article. 

Whitehouse Fire was moved to cover Noonday, Dixie, and Flint/Gresham’s districts. Bullard Fire also covered Flint/Gresham and Whitehouse’s Districts. 

Responding agencies are as follows: Dixie Fire, Flint/Gresham Fire, Noonday Fire, Lindale Fire, Chandler Fire, Arp Fire, UT EMS, and the Smith County Fire Marshal’s Office. Great work, ladies and gentlemen!

At 10:05 PM on September 5th, Tyler Fire Department’s Engine 1, Ladder 1, Battalion 1, Engine 6, and Engine 7 were dispatched to 801 W Bow Street for a reported vacant house on fire.  

Approximately two minutes later, Engine 1 arrived on scene and advised that the front of the vacant house was on fire. Other responding fire units quickly arrived shortly after. Firefighters knocked the fire down promptly, allowing them to gain entry to the structure and check for any possible occupants.   

A control time was called at 10:23 PM. For approximately the next hour and a half, fire units drowned hot spots and cleaned up their equipment. At 11:43 PM, all fire units were clear from the scene, with Tyler Fire Department’s Fire Marshal remaining on scene for investigation. 

At approximately 11:28 PM on June 26^th, 2022, Smith County Fire crews were dispatched to a box alarm structure fire at the 15500BLK of County Road 1227 in Flint, TX in Dixie’s primary district.  

First Fire Units arrived on the scene at 11:37 and advised that the structure was fully involved and declared a defensive attack on the structure. Due to the fire, a power line to the house fell on a nearby barbed wire fence, energizing it. Oncor was called to secure the line. 

Smith County Fire crews knocked the fire down quickly, calling control time at 12:07 AM. Crews worked the structure for the next two hours. Once Oncor arrived on the scene and secured the power line, fire crews were able to hit a few more hot spots before cleaning up, packing up, and heading back to their stations. 

Smith County Fire Crew had a busy 24 hours. Per Smith County Professional Firefighters Association L-5300, “Over the past 24 hours, Smith County Fire Department has responded to 3 different Residential Structure Fires. In all three incidents, the first arriving crews have been presented with heavy fire conditions. On all three fires, crews have made aggressive pushes to rapidly extinguish the fires. Having our full-time career staffing in these areas has drastically decreased response times. This gives us the ability to mitigate these hazards more effectively and efficiently. Keep up the hard work everyone!”  

Prior to this structure fire, at approximately 9:51 PM, Smith County Fire crews were dispatched to a transformer that was sparking in a heavily wooded area on County Road 285 in Chapel Hill’s district near Lake Tyler. The sparks caused the grass/woods to catch fire resulting in a structure fire as well. 

Shortly after, at 11:20 PM, Fire crews were dispatched to a box alarm structure fire on FM-16 E in Winona’s district. The box alarm included volunteers from Winona, Red Springs, and Jackson Heights VFDs. The first crew on the scene were career staff from Red Spring, assisted by career staff from Jackson Heights. Crews were able to extinguish the fire quickly. No injuries were reported and no firefighters were injured. In addition, there was a major, pin-in accident on I-20 at the 544-mile marker. 

All Smith County Fire Crews from ESD2 and Smith County VFDs did an amazing job with these incidents. 

All fire investigation has been turned over to the Smith County Fire Marshal’s Office.