801 Crockett Street, Shreveport, Louisiana 71101
318/ 673-6655 ● FAX: 318/ 673-6656 ● www.shreveportfire.org

Kelvin J. Cochran, Fire Chief

February 26, 2002

PRESS RELEASE
To: Newsroom
For Immediate Release
Contact: Brian A. Crawford, Public Information Officer
Phone: 673-6652, cell: 455-2609, page: 675-2137

Daytime Fires Damage Home and Property

A couple of fires this afternoon damage property in Shreveport as brisk winds played a part in the spread of one blaze.

The first fire was in the Western Hills neighborhood of Shreveport. Firefighters were called out to 300 Medallion Street at 2:51 p.m. after neighbors saw smoke billowing from the garage of the one story brick home. When crews arrived they had to cut through the home’s garage lock to reach the fire. Once opened, the garage poured black smoke and firefighters found a Chevrolet van on fire. Once the van fire was extinguished, the garage, attic, and home were inspected for damage. Fire damage and heavy smoke damage was apparent in the garage and light smoke damage was visible in the home. No one was at home at the time of the fire. No injuries were reported.

In a later fire, crews were called out to the 2400 block of Meriwether Road at 2:51 p.m. for what was initially a woods fire. When firefighters pulled up to the scene by way of a perpendicular running street, they found fierce winds had quickly spread the fire and that it was now consuming a work shop and threatening nearby homes on Ruth Street. Officials believe the blaze started when a car being worked on in the rear of 2405 Meriwether, where an additional residential structure and the shop were located, backfired. The backfire was believed to have caught some pine straw on fire and quickly spread to the shop. Before the fire was brought under control, at 3:39 p.m., the fire leveled the shop, burnt three-quarters of an acre of land, and damaged a wooded fence and pool decking at 8816 Ruth. No injuries were reported. ###