Laurel fire chief asks property owners to secure homes from squatters

A squatter is suspected of starting a fire that gutted a home on 14th Avenue last week, so Laurel’s fire chief has joined the police chief in asking owners of vacant properties to be vigilant. “If you have a vacant house, please board it up and check on it periodically to make sure no one is there or to see if there are signs someone has been in there,” Chief Leo Brown of the Laurel Fire Department said. “Make sure it is safe and secured.” The home at 1130 North 14th Ave. that burned after midnight last Thursday had a mattress, some personal items that didn’t belong to the owner and a shopping cart full of scrap metal inside. All of those are obvious tell-tale signs that someone was staying there, Brown said.
The Laurel Leader Call

Woman killed in Madison County house fire

A woman died during a house fire in Madison County. Officials said the Gluckstadt Fire Department and the Farmhaven Volunteer Fire Department responded to the scene just before 6:00 a.m. on Tuesday, May 14. The fire happened at a mobile home on Barnes Road off of Ratliff Ferry Road. The Madison County coroner identified the woman as 53-year-old Wendy Parker. The Madison County EOC, Madison County Sheriff’s Office and the State Fire Marshal’s Office also responded to the scene. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
WJTV CBS/CW 12 Jackson

Old Jackson fire station demolished

VIDEO: The Jackson Fire Department finally said goodbye to the old Fire Station No. 20. Crews started tearing down the old fire station Monday morning on Medgar Evers Boulevard. The new Fire Station No. 20 is next door, so firefighters came out to watch the demolition. For veterans of the department, it's tough saying goodbye to a place they called home for so many years. "It housed a lot of great guys," said Capt. Robert Elbert. "It's been one of the oldest stations in the city, so it's time. It's bittersweet, but it's time." The fire department said the building should be fully demolished in a few days.
WAPT-TV ABC 16 Jackson