BY DAN HILDEBRAN
Bradford and Clay County firefighters contained a structure fire at Lawtey’s Tatum Sawmill on Monday, April 14. However, the blaze completely burned one structure.
Bradford Fire Chief Ben Carter said his department received the call on the fire around 3:40 a.m.
“Our main focus was just making sure it did not spread to any of the other buildings or the lumber stacks nearby,” Carter said. “They made a quick attack on it and prevented it from spreading to the other structures. That was our main focus as we knew that building was going to be basically a total loss due to the amount of fire load that we had when we first arrived, and so our main focus was just making sure it did not spread to any of the other buildings or the lumber stacks nearby.”
The chief added that because his units needed more water, they requested assistance from Clay County Fire Rescue, which eventually sent over 20 personnel, nearly double the number of Bradford firefighters at the scene. The neighboring agency also sent a ladder truck, which Carter said was a big help.
“(It) was extremely helpful to have that ladder there on scene and be able to have an elevated water stream,” Carter said. “That made our jobs much, much easier.”
Carter said his department deployed three engines and three tankers to the scene, joined by three additional tankers from the public works department. Bradford units remained at the County Road 200A property until around 10:15 a.m.
The chief added that he is confident of the source of the fire and that there will be no investigation of the incident.
“We didn’t feel a need to involve the State Fire Marshal’s Office,” Carter said. “We determined the cause was electrical in nature.”
