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| Glynn County Fire
Department Capt. Joe Poppell communicates by radio at the fire. (Bobby
Haven/The Brunswick News) |
Glynn County firefighters faced more
than flames when responding to a house fire off Old Jesup Road Monday afternoon.
They faced exploding ammunition, a
downed power line, a propane tank and the cruel wrath of a typical mid-August
day.
Firefighters faced those and other
dangers when battling the blaze at the single-story woodframe house at 119
Crooms Road at 3 p.m.
No one was at home when the fire
started, the department said. Charles and Valerie Gill and their four children,
two boys ages 11 and 9 and two girls ages 8 and 7, were renting the house.
A large amount of ammunition caught
fire in the back of the house, causing an explosion of bullets. Capt. Joe
Poppell said the ammunition, which exploded inside the structure, did not
threaten any of the firefighters.
Firefighters safely removed the
propane tank, which provided fuel to the residence, and Georgia Power Co. made
sure the power line was neutralized.
Then there was the heat and humidity
of a day when the high climbed to 91 degrees. Firefighters exiting the fire in
soot-covered turnout gear weighing nearly 40 pounds got some help from the
volunteer auxiliary, which provided bottles of water and Gatorade to help keep
them hydrated.
Fire chief Al Thomas said the summer
intensifies the wear and tear on firefighters.
"It's physically draining to these
people," said Thomas. "It zaps their energy real quick."
The cause of the fire was
undetermined.
No damage estimate was available.
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