Friday Fires Damage Home, Business

Friday Blaze Damages Home – Firefighters responded to the 16000 block of Hwy. 32 west on Friday to a fire smoldering inside a home. Heavy smoke caused Yalobusha EMA Director Frank Hyde to stay low while directing air-pack equipped Velma volunteer Grant Thompson into the structure. – Photos by Jack Gurner

Pool Hall Fire – Quick response by Water Valley, Velma and other volunteers kept the pool hall on County Road 105 from burning Friday night just before 8 p.m. Water Valley Fire Chief Sherman Gooch (second from left) discusses possible causes with other firefighters. One theory cited by several fire officials was that the open stovepipe (photo below) just below the roof line might have contributed to the blaze. None of the pool tables or the dancer pole located on the building’s west side appeare