Congratulations are in order for the Jacksonville Firefighters' Team that won the Chili Cook-Off against the representatives from the JSO, on March 3rd at the Fly's Tie Irish Pub. Specifically, the actual accolades go to the team from Rescue 71's B-Shift, Arceneaux/Middleton (along with George Faucher) who walked away with the trophy following the presentation to the judges of their exceptional and Cajun-influenced culinary delicacy. Now, if only that good omen can carry over to the REAL big event on Saturday, March 10th: of course it's the annual Guns 'N' Hoses Charity Boxing spectacle at the Coliseum!

Saturday afternoon just before 1 PM, Engine 51 received an investigative assignment generated through an alarm at 2822 Ridgefield Court. When arriving, the crew promptly reported a maximum full assignment needed for a single family, two-story brick-front home that had heavy flame and smoke bursting through the roof in the back of the home. After an epic struggle lasting nearly 30 minutes before the last of the hot-spots had been indentified and extinguished, the house was deemed a total loss with approxiamtely $1 million in damages noted. The homeowner, a 58 year old white male who was present at the time of the fire, required transport to Baptist for treatment to minor injuries sustained while attempting to extinguish the blaze. According to the aforementioned individual, he was outside working in the yard when he noticed the flames inside the house. When entering into the structure he observed how flames seemed to be originating from his gas-powered fireplace, a device that had just recently received maintenance work.