Thanks to the quick response of area firefighters, a rural Weakley County residence was saved from a fire that erupted Monday morning.
According to Dresden Fire Chief Dickie Hart, a fire call came in at approximately 11:49 stating that flames were coming out of the chimney of a wood-frame home located at 10884 Hwy. 22, Dresden, which is owned by Chauency Adams.
Within seven minutes, members of the Dresden Fire Department, who received mutual aid from the Martin Fire Department, were on the scene and immediately began extinguishing the blaze.
Chief Hart stated that the cause of the fire was a buildup of creosote on the inside of the chimney, which was almost closed due to the large amount of the flammable substance. Fortunately, the firefighters managed to contain the fire to the chimney and there was only a small amount of smoke in the house and attic.
Hart said that due to the condition of the chimney, which includes cracks in the mortar holding the bricks in place, it would have to be cleaned and inspected to make sure it’s safe before it can be used again.
A total of 23 firefighters were at the scene with two pumper trucks from Dresden and one from Martin. Approximately 100 gallons of water was needed to douse the blaze. The Weakley County Ambulance Service and Weakley County Rescue Squad, , Sheriff’s Department and Dresden Police Department also responded to the scene.
Hwy. 54 fire
In an unrelated incident, members of the Dresden Fire Department responded to a fire outside of the city limits just east of Dresden last Thursday.
According Dresden Fire Chief Dickie Hart, the fire call came in around noon when homeowner Rodney Pierpoint returned to his home, located at 1468 Paris Hwy. 54, to discover smoke filling his house.
Dresden Fire Department responded to the scene with 14 firefighters utilizing two pumper tankers.
Using a thermal camera to locate the source of the smoke, firefighters discovered that the source of the smoke wood frame and brick veneer home was due to a woodstove fire in the basement, which damaged the electrical wiring in the basement and caused smoke damage throughout the house. Although there was some fire and smoke damage, the structure was saved by the efforts of these firefighters.

Help prevent child abuse and enjoy local cuisine at the same time by attending “A Taste of Weakley and Obion Counties,” a gala planned for Saturday, March 5.
The gala, sponsored by the Weakley and Obion county chapters of the Carl Perkins Center for the Prevention of Child Abuse, begins at 7 p.m. at Volunteer Distributors on Highway 22 in Dresden. Vendors from both counties will offer samples of their food and beverages to guests. The vendor list includes Snappy Tomato Pizza of Martin, Austin’s Pizza, Sandy Catering, Barbara Shanes Catering, Carribean Corner, Pizza Hut of Martin, Taco Bell of Martin, Krystal, Richie & Reggie’s BBQ of Dresden, Bethel Catering of McKenzie, Sodexho Catering of Martin, Huddle House of Union City, Coca-Cola and Pepsi.

(Read the rest of this story in this week's Dresden Enterprise.)