The DeKalb County Fire Department had a busy weekend after a structure fire in the Cove Hollow area near Center Hill Lake left two homes in ruins and sparked a wildland blaze.  

According to Assistant Chief Anthony Boyd, at 3:28 pm, E-911 dispatch received a call reporting a fire at 7100 Dale Ridge Road, Temperance Hall. The blaze was determined to be located at 175 Village Way at the home of Steven Chamberlain, who was not at home when the fire started.

Assistant Chief Boyd reported that neighbors were inside their homes when they heard something. After investigating, the discovered the blaze and reported it to authorities.

The DeKalb Fire Department’s Main Station Engine 59, Liberty Engine 65, Temperance Hall Engine 67, and Cookeville Highway Engine 61 responded to the scene, along with a tanker, the brush truck, the rehab team, and mutual aid from the Alexandria Fire Department. DeKalb EMS and the Sheriff’s Department also responded to the scene.

Heat from that fire then sparked a blaze at a neighboring home, belonging to Keith and Teresa Harmon, at 160 Village Way. Neither the Harmon’s or Chamberlain were at the homes at the time of the incident. The Harmon’s live in Murfreesboro, while Chamberlain’s primary residence is in Hendersonville.

The fire also sparked approximately 5 acres in a wooded area around the homes. The Tennessee Division of Forestry responded to the scene to battle the wild fire, a battle that continued well into Monday afternoon.

Although the Harmon home was heavily damaged, the dining room and a bedroom were spared except for some smoke and water damage. The Chamberlain blaze was a total loss.

Authorities say that a firefighter suffered an injury when he fell through the porch of the Harmon home while fighting the fire. He was taken by DeKalb EMS to Ascension Saint Thomas DeKalb Hospital where he was treated and released. The cause of the fire is undetermined.