March 19, 2001

PRESS RELEASE

To: Newsroom

For Immediate Release

Contact: Brian A. Crawford, Public Information Officer

Phone: 673-6652, cell: 455-2609, page: 675-2137

Fire Heavily Damages MLK Residence

Shreveport firefighters responded to a house fire in the Martin Luther King area this evening at 7:49 p.m. When Department crews arrived, smoke was pouring from the sprawling, four bedroom home at 2442 Hawkins. Neighbors spotted smoke coming from the house and called 911, and alerted home owner Joycelyn Holden, 32, who, along with her sister, were visiting friends down the street from the residence.

When firefighters arrived on the scene, Holden told then that no one was at home when the fire started and everyone was out and accounted for. Engine company six, led by Captain Randy Staggs, entered the home from a side door and encountered heavy smoke and flames. Staggs directed his crew through the home and into the kitchen, where they encountered the heart of the fire. After 20 minutes of intense firefighting, the blaze was extinguished at 8:17 p.m.

Fire Investigator Russell Moon determined that the home’s stove top was left on and had burned through a skillet, starting the fire. District Chief James Pope listed the damage to the structure as heavy. No injuries were reported to firefighters or civilians.

###