This weekend was busy for the Salem Fire Protection District as they fought three fires and helped free a man from an elevator.
Firemen were called at 4:19 Sunday afternoon to the Georgia Turner home in the 1900 block of Kaskaskia Lane on Lake Centralia. A fire started for an unknown reason in a trash bag sitting on a patio table. The fire spread from the patio to siding on the home, scorching it. Firemen stopped the fire before it got inside the home. Turner was asleep inside and didn’t realize there was a problem until waking up and finding the firemen on the back porch.
Firemen responded to the Donald Bishop property on Lazy Acre Road west of Selmaville Road when a controlled burn in a brush pile and several large trees began to spread when the wind changed direction. Firemen were able to confine the fire to several large trees that were cut down and about a half-acre of land.
Another Saturday afternoon fire burned about an acre of ground owned by Jeremy Crist at 1976 Mt. Moriah Road near the Levy Road intersection. The fire spread out of control into a grassy area from a yard waste fire.
Salem firemen were also called to the Quality Inn on West Main Street Sunday morning when a man became stuck in the elevator. Firemen used an elevator tool to get the door open on the second floor so the man could exit. He was stuck on the elevator for about 20 minutes.
