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Walnut Hill Fire Ruled Arson, No Arrests Yet
August 21, 2008
A fire that swept through a Walnut Hill home on August 13 was arson, according the state fire marshal’s office.
The fire destroyed a wood frame home in the 7000 block of Highway 97 about 9:00 p.m. on August 13. A separate fire appeared to have been set on a boat parked under a nearby shed, slightly damaging the back of the vessel. All four tires on the homeowner’s SUV were flattened, and three large gashes where cut into a nearby trampoline.
“The fire is being worked as an arson,” said Chris Powell, a detective with the Division of State Fire Marshal’s Office, Bureau of Fire and Arson Investigations. “We are pursuing leads in the case, and it is still under investigation.”
Powell said there have not been any arrests yet in the case.
NorthEscambia.com was first on the scene, with flames visible from the rear of the house as we arrived. The flames quickly spread as the first fire trucks pulled up on the scene. Windows quickly blew out of the front of the small wood frame home, and flames then jumped into the air from the front of the house. The home was fully involved as the firefighters began their assault on the blaze.
The home sits in a field down a long dirt driveway, about one third of a mile south of Highway 97.
For a complete photo gallery from the scene on August 13, click here. The gallery shows the fire as it begins to spread, the fire shooting from the windows of the home after the glass exploded out of them, and the first attempts to put out the fire. The total time represented by the photos that show flames at the beginning of the gallery is just over two minutes.
Pictured above: Fire rages through a Walnut Hill home before the first fire trucks arrive at a Walnut Hill home on August 13. Pictured below: It appeared that someone tried to set fire to this boat near the home. Pictured bottom: All four tires were slashed on the homeowner’s SUV. NorthEscambia.com file photos, click to enlarge.
Comments
6 Responses to “Walnut Hill Fire Ruled Arson, No Arrests Yet”
Mr. Faulk, at no time should you fight fire or perform fireground tasks without PPE. No, I am not a rookie, I have twenty two years with the city of Pensacola Fire Dept. and we would be written up for being on the fire ground without wearing PPE. By the looks of the structure ,30 seconds spent putting on your bunker gear would not have changed the outcome (total loss) Other than that good job guys, glad we have you out here.
Thanks for putting it in perspective!! Great job all around.
Thanks to the people that are concerned about Walnut Hill VFD’s safety. At times we seem to get carried away. We seem to get tunnel vision and do things we should not do.
Deni you have obviously been around the fire service some, but may not be aware of our standard operating guidelines (SOG’s). The county has set these for us to follow on the fire ground. We are issued PPE, but wearing it while driving is not recommended. Donning gear in the engine while in route is also not recommended.
As the driver of the engine, I deployed booth attack lines while the firefighters on scene got in thier gear. I wasn’t as close as the picture makes it look. At no time did I feel my firefighters or I was in any undue danger.
Roger can tell you how fast fire can grow (it can double every minute). This fire was in the growing stage. Not having the resources Roger’s station obviously has, we some time have to put apparatus in route without being completely crewed out. The pictures show the fire had self vented. An external attack was the only option at the time. A single firefighter on a nozzel with reduced pressure out of the collapse zone flowing water through a window was not my first choice of attack. It was the best choice with the resources we had on hand. In just over two minutes the fire was knocked down according to the timer on Northescambia.com’s camera. At that time we had enough personal on scene geared out to make an internal attack.
The firefighter looking in the window without an air mask or helment had been part of the RIT (rapid intervention team). He had already doffed the hot gear as the fire was out. No firefighter injuries, praise the Lord,
An older, off grade, type five construction (wood frame) residential dwelling. The structure had multiple sets with possible accelerants. I an proud to have been part of this four station accomplishment.
PPE means Personal Protective Equipment. I’m a girl, and even I know that. It’s one of the most important things to consider in a hazardous work environment. This guy (Roger) doesn’t sound like a rookie to me…just very wise and paying more attention than those guys hoped. NOBODY SAID THEY DID A BAD JOB….no need to be so defensive. He’s just worried more about their safety than they are it seems.
Well thank you for your great concern about our firefigters in Walnut Hill wearing their proper PPE (don’t even know what that is myself). Our Firefigters are the best of any in this county that I have seen and they do a great deal of things for this community and the surrounding area. I am very very proud of each and everyone of them. Alot are friends and one is family. These people risk their lives for all of us everytime a call goes out. I don’t know but you sound like a rookie to me in the firefigters role. The Firefighters of Walnut Hill Station 15 are The BEST. Keep up the good job Walnut Hill Firefighters. Ronnie Faulk Proud Member Of the Walnut Hill Community.
Wow! What a fire! I hope they catch the guy! As a volunteer firefighter myself, though, I did notice that there was a major lack in the firefighters wearing the proper PPE. The first guy stringing out the hose isn’t wearing his helmet or jacket, right beside roaring flames! Also, some of the last pictures show a firefighter with an airpack on his back even though he isn’t using it, without a helmet, leaning in a window where other firefighters are using their air! Also, the first guy on the fire line doesn’t have a backup! The article didn’t say anything, so hopefully there were no injured firefighters! Let’s be safe, guys!