UPDATE: Officials provide update on Christmas fire
Representatives with the Russellville Fire Department, the Russellville Police Department, the State Fire Marshal’s Office and the city of Russellville met Thursday morning to give a status update on the Christmas Day fire that completely destroyed two buildings in downtown Russellville.
Russellville Police Chief Chris Hargett said officials with the RPD and the Russellville Fire Department discovered there was a possibility that a man had been living in the basement of the old Franklin County Times building that was destroyed in the fire.
James Elton Faulkner, Jr., 46, formerly of 416 East Lawrence Street in Russellville, was identified as the man who had been living in the building.
Hargett said when surveillance video from a local business captured Faulkner in the same vicinity as the fire, they located him and brought him in for questioning.
Faulkner is currently being held on a bond revocation and no criminal charges related to the fire have been filed at this time, Hargett said.
Assistant State Fire Marshal Scott Pilgreen said they have contacted the Franklin County District Attorney’s Office and the findings of the investigation will be presented to the next grand jury.
“We still have a few loose ends to tie up before our investigation is complete,” Pilgreen said. “We have a good handle on how and where the fire started but we plan to let the grand jury determine whether or not there was any criminal intent involved in this fire.”
Russellville Fire Capt. Steve Thornton said the State Fire Marshal’s Office was initially contacted due to the significant dollar loss from the fire.
Thornton said the total amount lost between the three buildings that had been damaged came to $320,000.
Even though no definite determination has been made as to whether the cause of the fire was intentional or an accident, Russellville Fire Chief Joe Mansell said it’s always hard to put firefighters’ lives in danger.
“These men from about seven different departments were spending their Christmas fighting this fire,” Mansell said. “We had one firefighter who fell through the floor into the basement. Thankfully he wasn’t hurt, but there is always the potential for serious injury or the loss of a life when we have to go fight a fire.
“I appreciate everyone who assisted with the fire and with the investigation. For this case to wrap up as quickly as it has, it really shows the amount of effort everyone involved has put into this.”
