Firefighters in South Fulton, Tennessee, have done it again—allowing a home to burn to the ground because the owners didn’t pay for the local fire protection fee.

 

Resident Vicky Bell called 911 on Monday after her mobile home caught fire. Firefighters arrived at the scene, only to stand by and watch the property turn to cinders since Bell had failed to fork over the yearly $75 to the city.

 

Mayor David Crocker said the so-called “pay for spray” policy is fair and just. If firefighters helped those who didn’t pay the fee, he contended, there would be no incentive for anyone to subscribe. “There’s no way to go to every fire and keep up the manpower, the equipment, and just the funding for the fire department (without the fee),” he told the Blount County Daily Times.

 

South Fulton garnered national media attention last year when the fire department did nothing to stop homeowner Gene Cranick’s house from going up in flames. Like Bell, Cranick didn’t subscribe to the fire service.

-Noel Brinkerhoff

 

Obion County Home Burns as Firefighters Watch (Blount County Daily Times)

Home Burns While Firefighters Watch, Again (by Jason Hibbs, WPSD Local 6 News)

Tennessee Home Burns to Ground While Firefighters Watch from Afar (by Leigh Goessl, Digital Journal)

Firefighters Watch as Home Burns to the Ground (by Jason Hibbs, WPSD Local 6 News)