1st Fire Call


The Minford Fire Department Receives Its First Call

Article taken from The Portsmouth Times, Thursday, October 19, 1944, p. 13

Minford Firemen Get First Alarm
Equipment Purchased in July Gets Initial Test

Minford's volunteer fire department got its "baptism of fire" about 11 a.m. today when fire starting in a kindling box, caused damage to a wall in the home of Carl Bonzo on Route 335 north in the northern end of the village.

The alarm was telephoned to the exchange and a fire siren there was sounded.  Community leaders reported the volunteers were throwing water from the fire truck within 7 minutes after the alarm sounded.

Water from the booster tank on the truck, purchased from Ironton in July, was used to half the flames, fought by Mrs. Bonzo before firemen arrived.  Mrs Bonzo carried water from the family well in a effort to check the spread of the fire which ate its way up the sidewall.

Assistant Chief Marion Bennett and Capt. Floyd Powell were in charge of the curfew with a dozen responding out of the 16 on the volunteer fire department roster.