At 11:28 PM on Wednesday, July 13th, 2022, Flint-Gresham, Bullard, and Noonday Fire Departments were dispatched to a reported back porch fire with a structure in danger at the 2100BLK of Old Oak Circle. Several Smith County Fire ESD2 departments were already on the scene of a commercial structure fire on Robinson Dr and some left to respond to Old Oak Circe. Bullard Engine 2 arrived first on the scene, advising incoming units that the structure was a single-story, single-family home with a working fire. A single occupant was out of the house and firefighters rescued a dog from inside. Command gave secondary arriving units the instructions to establish a water supply, as the fire had worked its way into the home’s garage.
At 11:45 PM, assistance from the Tyler Fire Department was requested and Engine 4 was dispatched to the scene. Firefighters reported to command that the fire had spread from the patio to the garage, and now into the attic. Tyler Fire’s Ladder 2 was then requested to the scene, as was Dixie Engine 2, an Engine that was leaving the fire on Robinson Dr. Approval from Tyler Fire Administration was needed for Engine 4 and Ladder 2 to be pulled from service in the city so that they could respond on mutual-aid. Once the request was approved, Engine 4 and Ladder 2 responded to Old Oak Circle.
About 10 minutes later, it was reported to command that the roof was starting to collapse with firefighters working in the interior of the structure. They were ordered to retreat immediately and 3 horn blasts were sounded off by one of the trucks, in case the firefighters inside couldn’t hear their radios. All the firefighters got out safely, and moments after, the roof fell in, exposing more flames and smoke. Tactics then switched to defensive firefighting so the blaze wouldn’t spread to any neighboring homes.
Control time for the fire was called at 1:04 AM. UT Health EMS helped with rehab for the firefighters, as well as neighboring families providing snacks as well as ice coolers filled with water and sports drinks. Departments that responded to the scene are as follows; Bullard FD, Whithouse FD, Noonday FD, Dixie FD, Flint-Gresham FD, Chapel Hill FD, Tyler Fire-Rescue, and UT Health EMS. All units were clear of Old Oak Circle at about 3:30 AM. In total, there were 7 fire apparatus, 3 support units, and 7 command vehicles on the scene.
LIVESTREAM: https://youtu.be/9Qdv_-aGIug
*Emergency Media does not know the cause of the fire. All our information is from what was observed on scene.