Unbelievable is the best way to describe the past few weeks for Jones County volunteer firefighters.

Volunteer firefighters responded to a house fire on Wednesday night and trailer home blaze Thursday evening. Since Thanksgiving week they have responded to 16 structure fires, 13 in Fire District 1 alone.

“As far as we know, this sets a record for the number of structure fires we’ve had for any given period,” said Lance Chancellor, public information officer for the Jones County Fire Council.

On site at Thursday’s fire, Chancellor explained that some of the firefighters fought Wednesday’s fire and didn’t get home until about 2 a.m. Thursday morning. They got a little rest and then went to their regular jobs.

“Here it is Thursday evening and they are fighting another fire,” said Chancellor. “These District 1 firefighters have been very busy and just can’t seem to get a break. We don’t know what’s going on here.”

At about 9:15 p.m. Wednesday, firefighters were dispatched to a house fire at 223 Hillcrest Road in the Hatten Community near Hebron. The home, owned by 66-year-old Joyce DeJarnett, was heavily damaged by fire and smoke.

Volunteer fire units from Hebron, Pleasant Ridge, Soso and Calhoun battled the blaze. Chancellor said Hebron Volunteer Fire & Rescue was the first department on scene and reported heavy fire conditions in the two story brick home. 

“Firefighters initiated an aggressive interior attack and were able to contain the flames, but heavy fire damage was reported in several rooms with heat, smoke and water damage reported in other areas,” explained Chancellor.

 Harriett DeJarnett, the daughter of the homeowner, said, “my mom and 13-year-old sister, Keisha, were at home when the fire occurred. I was talking on the phone with Mom when I heard the smoke alarm beeping in the background.

“The next thing I knew, I heard my sister come in the room and say, ‘Momma, my room is on fire!’” Harriett DeJarnett said Thursday. “My Mom screamed: ‘Baby, the house is on fire!’”

Harriett DeJarnett, who was in bed playing video games, got up, grabbed her sons housecoat and took off running down the street. She lives about 50 feet from her mother’s home.

By time she reached her mother’s home, she could see flames coming out of the windows of the five-bedroom house. There was also a lot of black smoke coming from the home.

“They were able to get out of the house okay,” said Harriett DeJarnett. “My mom was taken to the hospital because her blood pressure had shot up and my little sister was taken to the hospital with first degree burns on her ankle and second and third degree burns on her right arm from the wrist to her elbow.”

Chancellor said the two were transported by EMServ Ambulance Service for treatment of smoke inhalation and other ailments. Harriett DeJarnett, who was able to get her mother and sister out of the home, suffered light smoke inhalation and was treated at the scene by EMServ paramedics but did not require transport to the hospital.

Jones County Fire Coordinator Dan McKenna, along with units from the Jones County Sheriff’s Office and the portable air unit from the Jones County Emergency Management Agency, also responded to the scene. During the house fire which took all four VFD’s in District 1 to battle, Powers Volunteer Fire & Rescue Engine 1 was dispatched to stand by at Calhoun VFD’s fire station and  cover fire and rescue calls in District 1.  

According to Joyce DeJarnett, the fire was caused by an electric space heater in her 13-year-old daughter’s room. Apparently something got too close to the heater and caught fire.

“My mom said my sister was asleep when the fire broke out,” said Harriett DeJarnett. “I’m just so happy that they are alive. My mom is my heart.”

Two dogs also survived the fire. Billy Smith, chief of the Hebron Volunteer Fire Department, said firefighters were able to rescue two dogs trapped in the garage, with one needing to be resuscitated.

“When we got the call, they said someone was still in the house,” Smith said. “When we got there, we found out that it was the two dogs. We had to tear the garage open to get them out.”

Smith said firefighters Teresa Jefcoat and Penny Overstreet were able to resuscitate the dog using a pediatric mask. Weston Frasher and Chris Stevenson also assisted in the rescue.

“What surprised me was that the girl received pretty bad burns on her arm, but everybody just wanted to know about the dogs,” he said.

Smith said the department was able to redeem itself after losing a dog last week that fell into a water well.

Smith added that the main problem in combating Wednesday night’s fire was that the house had burglar bars on every window and door.

“It took us a good 20 minutes just to penetrate the house,” he said. “We lost two rooms on the house.”

The DeJarnetts had no homeowner’s insurance.

“My sister lost everything she had,” said Harriett DeJarnett. “My mom is having a tough time dealing with it. This is the home she grew up in, but some rooms have been added to it across the years.

“A lot of the furniture in the house belong to my mom’s parents,” she said. “That means a lot to her.”

Harriett DeJarnett, said her mom, who was a foster parent for 10 years, is also concerned about the loss of presents she had purchased for her foster children and grandchildren.

“Her foster children still call her Mom and their children call her Grandma,” she said. “My mom is a retired schoolteacher and she just loves children.

“She also had bought presents for the members of praise team and dance group at our church. She’s over this group and she always tries to buy them nice gifts at Christmas.

“She has been so excited and has been talking about what a good Christmas this was going to be,” continued Harriett DeJarnett. “Now she’s worried about having to do more shopping.”

Harriett DeJarnett tries to encourage her mother and reassure her that everything is going to be all right. But she admits she almost lost it when her mother broke down in tears at the thought of being homeless.

“I told here as long as I have a home, she has a home. That’s what she always told us. They are living with me and my sons.”

They have moved things around in the house and Harriett DeJarnett even gave up her bed to accommodate her family. She sleeps on futon and jokes that she hopes she gets a nice bed for Christmas.

“You have to do what you have to do,” she said. “We’ll make things work until we are able to repair my mom’s home and move them back in.

“It will probably take a while to save up enough money to repair her home. They will be with me for as long as it takes. This is family.”

If you would like to donate to this family, call 601-498-2238.

The trailer home on James Road near West Jones High School was vacant when it caught on fire at about 3:20 p.m. Thursday. It was completely destroyed by fire.

Joel Blackwell, Chief of the Calhoun Volunteer Fire Department, said firefighters got a report of a fully involved trailer home fire. Fire units from Hebron, Soso, Calhoun and Pleasant Ridge responded to the fire. When they arrived the trailer was engulfed.

“We’re told someone was around here doing some work in the area and we’re trying to wait for him to return to see what type of work he was doing,” said Blackwell. “Right now the fire is still under investigation.”

Blackwell, who is also a firefighter for the Laurel Fire Department, said the volunteers have been getting plenty of training lately. “It’s really been something else around here,” he said.

Noting the recent rash of fires in District 1, Smith advised residents to pay careful attention to those space heaters, adding that those needing smoke alarms can call the Hebron Volunteer Fire Department. He said another concern firefighters have encountered recently are untrained area residents trying to assist.

“We’re glad they can help, but we don’t want them to put themselves in danger,” he said. “We had someone (Wednesday) go into the house that was fully in flames more than four times with nothing on.”

 

News Editor David Owens contributed to this story.