Fire destroys home on Jefferson’s east side

The Jefferson fire department, the Jefferson police department, the Greene County sheriff’s officeene County EMS responded to a house fire Thursday at 12: 17 pm at 405 W. Perry St, just south of the water treatment plant. The rented home was occupied by Mark Thomas and his adult son Jeremy Thompson. The elder Thompson was not home at the time, but Jeremy was. According to Jefferson fire chief Randy Love, the home was fully engulfed in flames when they arrived, and they called the Grand Junction fire department to assist. Love said it appears the fire started near an electrical panel in the garage. Jeremy Thompson was not injured in the fire, but a dog perished, and possibly a cat. Although the cause of Thursday’s fire has not yet been determined, bitter cold weather is a time when the risk of fires increases. The American Red Cross offers the following tips: *Do not use fireplaces and heating units that have not been professionally checked within the past year. *All heaters need space! Keep anything that can burn, such as paper, bedding or furniture as well as pets and people, at least 3 feet away from fireplaces, stoves and space heaters. *Place portable space heaters on a hard, level, nonflammable surface. Do not put space heaters on rugs or carpets, near bedding or drapes, and keep children and pets away. Look for a model that shuts off automatically if the space heater tips over. *Do not use heating equipment to dry wet clothing. *Never use the stove or oven to heat your home. *Never leave unattended food or liquids cooking on stoves or in ovens. *Never leave portable heaters, wood burning stoves or fireplaces unattended. Turn them off before leaving or going to bed. *Keep the fire in the fireplace by using a glass or metal screen large enough to catch sparks and rolling logs.

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