Structure fire in Liberty Community destroyed home

At 6:42 am Friday morning, the Burkeville Volunteer Fire Department were called out to a structure fire in the Liberty Community. Burkeville Fire Chief Charles Duckworth said, "Upon arrival, the structure was about 60% involved. We called for tanker support from Newton Fire."

Firefighters from both departments did all that they could, but the home was a complete loss.

Duckworth added, "The homeowners said that they left a heater on unattended."

Newton VFD Captain Melanie Bowman said, "Space heaters should never be left unattended and kept 3 foot from anything flammable.

Keep them away from children or pets, and plug them directly into the wall. Do not use with an extension cord of any kind, also watch them for malfunctions."

Bowman continued, "Heaters need to be placed on a hard flat surface so they don't over turn. Try to buy a heater with an automatic shut off mechanism in case it does overturn. Also make sure that your smoke alarms and carbon monoxide alarms are in good working order this winter."

Photo's courtesy of Burkeville and Newton VFD's