Blaze destroys Slidell home

By Anne Lautzenheiser
Published on Wednesday, March 5, 2008 8:49 AM CST

Print this story | Email this story | Post A Comment |

St. Tammany News

A Slidell man was doing yard work Sunday afternoon when his home was suddenly engulfed in flames.

Herbert Hunter, of 100 Hidden Oaks Drive, said he had been working in the garage when he decided to tackle some gardening. Suddenly he heard a "popping" sound, then the garage ignited.

More than two-dozen firefighters were on hand to battle Sunday's blaze, which began in the garage of this home in the Lake Village subdivision of Slidell. (Photo Courtesy of Neil Ricca)

Members of Fire Protection District 1 responded to the blaze, bringing a ladder truck, a rescue unit and two tankers. With more than two dozen firefighters on the scene, it took just about half an hour to put the fire out.

"The call came in at 3:01 p.m., we had it under control by 3:10 and completely out by 3:34 p.m.," said Chief of Fire Prevention Neil Ricca. "We were there until about 7 p.m. with the investigation."

Another member of the Hunter family was inside at the time but was alerted by a smoke detector and managed to evacuate without injury. Damages are estimated at about $100,000, not including three vehicles that were exposed to radiant heat from the flames.

Ricca said it is still unclear what started the blaze, noting it is too early to speculate yet on the cause.

He is certain, however, the smoke detector saved the lives of the family members.

"I was relieved that people made it out of that house," he said. "A smoke detector really is the best defense anyone can have."

Print this story | Email this story | Post A Comment |

Comments

6 comment(s)

Anjelina wrote on Jul 12, 2008 5:36 AM:

" http://bbs.flashget.com/en/viewtopic.php?f=13&t=12104 "

Cody Chenevert wrote on Jul 10, 2008 11:49 PM:

" be happy to drive and drop off my recyclables in Slidell. The environment is worth saving and I know our fellow St. Tammany residence feel the same way. "

Cody Chenevert wrote on Jul 10, 2008 11:48 PM:

" It is a shame that I have to drive all the way from Slidell to Baton Rouge just to do my part in saving our environment. Our relatives In Los Angeles get a pretty penny for their recyclables enough to be exact that would be able to pay my car note. I can’t even imagine getting paid to recycle, considering we don’t even have recycling in the first place. So this article is a relief, and I hope this company follows through with their plan. All I am asking is for a public recycling drop-off location, because I will "

Cody Chenevert wrote on Jul 10, 2008 11:47 PM:

" our older house which was 1/3 the size as our newly constructed home, and by this time next year I will be looking at solar panels on our roof. So I know firsthand going green is worth every penny. We did the hard part now all we need to do is recycle all of those plastic bottles in the garage along with the paper and glass that is stacking up. I refuse to throw it away, when we visit relatives in Baton Rouge I take all of my recyclables with us and drop it in there (Coastal) sized recycle bin. "

Cody Chenevert wrote on Jul 10, 2008 11:46 PM:

" St. Tammany is falling behind; other parishes in Louisiana have already implemented recycling on a major scale, the Baton Rouge area for intense. I see it every day “go green recycle” I know I have gone as green as I can for the time being but I have hit a MAJOR road block, I can’t recycle which is the basic “go green” plow along with changing to compact florescent light bulbs. Our entire house has CFL light bulbs along with Foam insulation, and all energy star appliances and let me tell you our electric bill is about $50 cheaper than "

vicki benitez wrote on Jun 10, 2008 10:32 PM:

" I believe we could start recycling with containers located in strategic places that people could drop off their recyclable items. This is something that we have to start doing asap. Drop offs would elimnate their driving around to too many homes problem. If this company is not interested, we need to get someone who is!!! "

WRITE A COMMENT

Use the form below to post a brief comment to this story, or respond to other readers. Please use the word count tool to assist you in keeping your remarks to 100 words or fewer.

Comment posters are responsible for the opinions they express and the accuracy of the information they provide. We urge comment writers to treat this as a public forum where manners matter. We encourage a collegial, non-insulting tone. All readers comments must be approved by our staff before posting to the Web site. They review submitted comments periodically during the day for offensive or off-topic content before posting. Be aware, in accordance with the Communications Decency Act and provisions upheld in judicial appeal, that you are responsible for comments posted on this Web site. The St. Tammany News is not liable for messages from third parties.

DO NOT POST:
* Potentially libelous statements or damaging innuendo.
* Obscene, explicit, or racist language.
* Personal attacks, insults or threats.
* The use of another person's real name to disguise your identity.
* Comments unrelated to the story.
* Personal Information (phone numbers, addresses, etc.)

Opinions, advice and all other information expressed in thesttammanynews.com's reader comments represent the individual's own views and not necessarily those of the St. Tammany News. The St. Tammany News does not endorse and is not responsible for statements, advice or opinions offered by anyone other than authorized St. Tammany News spokespersons.

Your thoughtful contribution to the online discussion is appreciated.