Towns man's life saved by best friend

In the early hours of Wednesday the 27th of February, firefighters were awakened to a call to respond to a structure fire on Mathison Rd off Scataway in Towns County. Hightower's Station 4 made first response, arriving in under10 minutes. Stations 1, 3, 4, and 10 responded with tankers, driving carefully through the snow and ice covering the road ways.

First units arrived around 4 am to find a mobile home fully engulfed in flames. After fire fighters brought the blaze under control, Timmy Shelton told of his harrowing experience. He had been awakened by .the barking of his little Feist terrier. After telling the dog to be quiet, Shelton fell back asleep. His little friend became insistent in his barking and finally Shelton became conscious to the fact that smoke was filling his bedroom. Upon opening the bedroom door, flames were seen engulfing his living room.

After breaking out a bedroom window, grabbing some clothes and his very best friend, Shelton jumped to safety. Realizing his truck was parked next to the mobile home, he ran to the exterior kitchen door and kicked it in and retrieved his keys. Driving to a neighbor's house to call for help, Timmy Shelton now realized his life had been saved by his little dog. With carbon monoxide from the smoke in the bedroom leaving him groggy and confused, only the insistence of his dog brought this story to a happy ending.

Shelton's home was located in a heavily wooded area. On reading about the Fire Wise Project in Towns County, he had recently raked the prescribed 30 foot buffer around his home. By doing this, the fire, driven by blustery winds, was unable to spread to the surrounding woods, creating an even more dangerous fire for the fire fighters to fight.

Whether keeping the woods fire from your home or your home fire from the woods and your neighbor's home, please follow the new Fire Wise recommendations. Keeping our county safe from fire, should be a concern to all residents.

Thanks to our Red Cross members for arriving on the scene to bring food and hot coffee to the fire fighters, and aid and support to Timmy Shelton and his best friend.