Firefighter responding to call discovers it’s his house up in flames, AL department says
A firefighter responding to an emergency call soon realized it was his home that was on fire, according to an Alabama fire department.
Stockley Hall, a full-time firefighter with Mobile Fire Rescue and volunteer firefighter with Stapleton Volunteer Fire Department, was driving home on July 17 when his pager went off, AL.com reported.
He wasn’t far from the station, the outlet said, so he headed there.
“He didn’t figure it out until he pulled into the station and got the truck going,” colleague Brent Pugh told the outlet. “He saw the address and then he realized ‘Holy cow. That’s my house.”
Pugh told WKRG Hall’s 11-year-old daughter was home alone when the fire started, but thanks to training from her firefighter dad, she was able to get out of the house in seconds and call 911.
“Unfortunately, the home was a total loss,” Pugh told the outlet.
The Hall family, which includes three children, were left with nothing after firefighters from multiple agencies finally put out the flames, WALA reported.
“House fires are hard but when it’s one of your own firefighter’s house it hit harder,” Stapleton fire department posted on Facebook. “We are thankful that everyone is okay. We will be accepting donations all this week at our station.”
The department is accepting donations of clothes, shoes, gift cards and cash to help the Hall family.
Jim Perry, principal of the school two Hall children attend, told WALA teachers were also gathering school supplies for the Halls so they are ready for the new year.
“It’s so tragic for this to happen and the kids, for their world to be rocked like this. I’m actually kind of glad that school’s starting soon so they can get back here with their friends and their teachers,” Perry told the outlet.
Fire officials told WALA they believe the fire originated in a sunroom in the back of the house, but they don’t know yet what may have started it.
Stapleton is about 20 miles east of Mobile.
This story was originally published July 20, 2023 at 3:56 PM with the headline "Firefighter responding to call discovers it’s his house up in flames, AL department says."
