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Rural Dix garage heavily damaged by fire

By Bruce Kropp Feb 26, 2024 | 2:12 PM

A 30 by 40-foot detached garage was heavily damaged by fire on the Rodney Carpenter property in the 10-thousand block of Rileyville Road in rural Dix Sunday afternoon.

Kell Fire reported heavy fire was coming out the back of the garage and heavy smoke from the entire building upon their arrival.   They established two lines to attack the fire from different directions and got a quick knockdown.

Because the garage was only eight feet from the home, mutual aid was called as a precaution.  Salem, Mt. Vernon, and Jefferson Fire assisted at the scene and the Centralia Fire District and Iuka Fire Department manned the Kell Fire House in the event of another fire.

The blaze may have been caused by embers blowing from a fire pit about 15 feet away from the garage.

Firemen say lawnmowers stored inside the building were destroyed.  A propane tank also stored in the garage caught fire, but firemen were able to move it outside to control the situation.

The fire call came in around two Sunday, with firemen on the scene for about an hour and a half.