A Friday evening fire described as one of the largest in recent memory caused severe damage to a home near Jacinto.

Jacinto Volunteer Fire Department Chief Jackie Farr said they were dispatched to the home at 35 County Road 439 at 6:48 p.m. and the first fire engines were on the scene in approximately 10 minutes.

“This fire turned out to be one of the largest fires the department has responded to in years. We could see the column of smoke and glow in the sky when we left the station,” he said.

The first firefighters on the scene arrived to find the large brick structure fully on fire with heavy smoke and flames visible. Biggersville Volunteer Fire Department, which was dispatched automatically as a backup, arrived within a few minutes.

Farr quickly took command of the operation and delegated responsibilities. He requested Alcorn E-911 to activate the Tanker Task Force to supply water and put Biggersville Fire Chief Pat Claunch in charge of the water supply. Multiple tanker trucks soon began arriving.

Glen Volunteer Fire Department Assistant Chief John Beavers was tasked with finding a way to put out the fire and organized three teams. Two of the teams went inside and one worked from the outside.

The size of a the fire required more manpower and Farr asked E-911 to page out an “All Hands” request for additional help which brought several volunteers from throughout the county to the scene to provide assistance.

“Usually with a fire this big, we don’t usually recover much. Although the home sustained very heavy damage, some important personal items were recovered in good shape. This recovery was because all the departments were working together. We effectively used the ICS, we got enough manpower to the scene and we called for the Tanker Task Force early. The water supply team kept us supplied with water and we never ran out. The operations teams made an aggressive attack and that’s what it takes,” said Farr.

He expressed his appreciation for all those who responded to the fire including Jacinto, Biggersville, Rienzi, Glen, Southwest, Kossuth, Farmington and Wenasoga volunteer fire departments.