Greene Publishing, Inc. Photo By Emerald G. Parsons, November 23, 2016
Walter and Shirley Yates, of Madison, lost their home to a house fire Wednesday night, Nov. 23. Although no one was injured in the fire, the home was a total loss.
Kelly Greene, Greene Publishing, Inc.
On Wednesday, Nov. 23 at approximately 6:06 p.m., Madison Fire and Rescue received an alert prompting them to respond to a fire at the home of Walter and Shirley Yates, located at 153 NE Burch St., in Madison.
According to Madison Fire and Rescue Chief Bruce Jordan, the fire was reported to have been caused by a grease fire that occurred while cooking. At the time of the fire, the dwelling was occupied by the Yates' son who had attempted to extinguish the fire. When he was unable to put the fire out, he fled the home. The occupant reported no injuries, however the fire resulted in a total loss of the home.
In addition to Madison Fire and Rescue, the following volunteer fire departments were on scene: Pinetta, Cherry Lake, Hamburg-Lovett, Lee and Greenville. It took the efforts of all responding fire departments to not only extinguish the fire but to contain it and prevent it from spreading to the treetops and dwellings nearby. Additionally, the power company was on scene to attend to downed power lines.
The American Red Cross will be assisting the Yates family through this tragedy. Also, according to sources, a representative from the local Jehovah's Witnesses church was on scene and will possibly be helping the family as well.