DAVE911.COM: 2005/10/09

BFRS House Fire

Birmingham Fire & Rescue

Courtesy: Alabama Associated Press

A house fire in Birmingham killed three people on Monday

The fire -- reported at about 10:30 a.m. -- also forced the evacuation of about 50 children and employees at a daycare center next door. The identities of the victims were not immediately available. Fire Department spokesman Captain C.W. Mardis says they were a male and female in their 70s and another male. He didn't know the third victim's age. Mardis says firefighters worked for nearly two hours to extinguish the blaze because of downed power lines and a natural gas leak caused when part of the home fell on the meter outside during the fire.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation, but Mardis says it appeared to be accidental.

Birmingham Firefighters did a fantastic job of protecting exposures in this one. Right up against the house was a church daycare that, at the time the fire started, was full of children. The children were evacuated and the building was spared any damage. Great job!

Alagasco working to shut the gas off so the remaining fire can be extinguished...

Pruitt "P.T." Thompson

Published in The Birmingham News

THOMPSON, PRUITT "P.T.", age 70, of Bessemer, passed away on October 5, 2005. A graduate of McAdory High School, P.T. retired from the Bessemer Fire Department after 41 years of service, and also from Western Auto. Throughout his life, Mr. Thompson was community minded. Some of his past positions and accomplishments include: Recipient of the Jim Clinton Award as the Alabama Firefighter of the Year in 1988; former Board Member of the YMCA in Bessemer and Y-Wood Field, served as an official in many High School sports, including basketball, and baseball; official with the Dixie Youth Baseball at Roosevelt Park; Inductee to the Alabama Softball Hall of Fame; Past President of Greater Birmingham Bowler's Association; sang with the Bessemer (now Alabama) Civic Chorale. He will be remembered for his great spirit and as a terrific practical joker.

A special thank you goes out to Chief Ryan for sharing the photos he took from the funeral procession. Chief Ryan tells me that Pruitt was also Vice Chairman on the Eastern Valley Vol. Fire and Rescue Board and was his pump operator on Engine 501.

A few of the videos on the front page feature Pruitt. This video is one of them. Donald, my partner in Bessemer, and I had just gotten back to Bessemer after an early morning run that had required us to take a lady to Cooper Green. Just as we got back, Bessemer had an apartment fire. In the video you can see Pruitt watching over his men.

Bessemer Apartment Fire

Donald and I used to always talk about how Pruitt loved to call LifeSaver. Anytime we ran with Bessemer and had something bad, we all knew that all we had to do was look at Pruitt and tell him we needed LifeSaver. He would spring into action... "Car 10 to Headquarters, get me LifeSaver, 154.250 (Bessemer Fire's Frequency). Before we knew it, LifeSaver would be over-head and Pruitt was out there waiting for them.

I knew Pruitt for many years and he was a good man.

Again, thank you Chief Ryan for the pictures!