Fire destroys 2-story garage, guest suite

A firefighter sprays water on the second floor of a garage that burned Saturday afternoon in Russellville
CONTRIBUTED/DAN BUSEY

R U S S E L LV I L L E – Jason Gist leaned against the wall of his home with a look of disgust while dozens of firefighters worked to extinguish a fire that destroyed a two-story garage and guest suite Saturday afternoon off Franklin County Road 64 Gist said he had received a phone call from an alarm company regarding a fire at his home.

Once he got to the top of the hill from another enclosed garage, he opened the door to his garage where his cars and dozens of antique signs he had collected over 20 years were being kept.

“I could hear the garage door just steadily humming and then I saw the flames in one corner of the garage,” he said. “I got a fire extinguisher and tried to put it out but couldn’t.”

Gist also had cars in the garage, so he quickly pulled them out of the garage before the flames reached the second floor.

Firefighters work to control flames on the roof of a garage off County Road 46 in Russellville on Saturday.
CONTRIBUTED/DAN BUSEY

“I tried with another fire extinguisher to try to put it out, but I just couldn’t,” he said.

More than 20 firefighters from Russellville and several other volunteer fire departments spent much of the afternoon battling the blaze in 90-plus degree heat.

“When we started to arrive on the scene you could see heavy smoke coming from the structure,” said Russellville Fire acting Lt. Mickey Gentry. “Once we got on the scene and got inside the garage, flames were visible coming from the second story.”

Firefighters spray water into a heavily damaged attic of a garage on scene of a structure fire off County Road 46 in Russellville on Saturday.
CONTRIBUTED/DAN BUSEY

Gentry said Saturday afternoon it was too early to tell where the fire originated or what may have caused the fire.

“The owner did say the garage door opener was buzzing when he went inside,” Gentry said.

Russellville Fire was called to the scene at 12:40 p.m. and then put out an all call for offduty firefighters and volunteers to respond.

Firefighters from multiple agencies spray water onto hot spots after a blaze destroyed the upper floor of a garage off County Road 46 in Russellville Saturday afternoon.
CONTRIBUTED/DAN BUSEY

Since there was not a nearby fire hydrant, Russellville put in a mutual-aid call to surrounding volunteer fire departments to supply firefighters and tanker trucks to bring water to the scene.

Firefighters managed to get the blaze under control within 90 minutes, according to Russellville Fire’s Joe Mansell, who was the site commander.

At least two firefighters were treated by Keller Emergency Medical Services for heat exhaustion, and one of the firefighters was transported to the hospital for treatment, Mansell said.

The volunteer fire departments who assisted Russellville on the call included Frog Pond, Blue Springs, Tharptown, Belgreen, Bear Creek, Littleville and Phil Campbell.

“We certainly appreciate all the help we received from the volunteer fire departments around the area,” Mansell said.

A firefighter sprays water on the charred remains inside a collapsed garage off County Road 46 in Russellville on Saturday.
CONTRIBUTED/DAN BUSEY