TN Firefighters Respond to House Fire, Watch It Burn To Ground

Firefighters in Tennessee respond to a 9-1-1 call for help…then just watch as a home burns to the ground.

FOX News Radio’s Chris Hoenig has the story:

(Bell) “We have no idea where to go from here.”

Vicky Bell says she lost everything when fire reduced her South Fulton, Tennessee home to rubble Monday morning – a blaze Bell watched with her mom, Treva Wilson, as firefighters watched from a distance.

(Wilson) “That fire…oh, it was…just seemed like ‘whooom,’ it was gone.”

That’s because Bell hasn’t paid a $75 annual fee for the South Fulton Fire Company to protect her rural trailer.  It’s not that she doesn’t want to pay it, she’s not able to pay it.  Bell says her trailer doesn’t qualify for homeowner’s insurance, a requirement under the town’s ordinance for fire protection.

(Bell) “I’m just happy they came out and watched out for my neighbors, ’cause I wouldn’t want them to go through it.”

South Fulton’s mayor says emergency crews will respond and will act if someone’s in danger, regardless of whether the fee is paid.  Bell says she’s looking for a place to live, and thankful for the community’s generosity.

(Bell) “Here at the holidays, it’s even tougher.”

Chris Hoenig, FOX News Radio.