Fire crews survey damage from two major fires in Harrison County

Fire crews in Harrison County are surveying the damage following two major fires in the county on Monday.

“This was a dangerous fire as far as fire fighting We had so much heat,” said Harrison County Fire Chief Pat Sullivan. “Such a fast-moving fire, so firefighters had to be very careful.”

Firefighters encountered a challenge when over 10 thousand wooden pallets caught fire at Sonny’s Pallets LLC. on Highway 49. 

The fire began around noon. It had burned about seven acres before it was contained

“This fire was large and it took us hours,” Sullivan said. “I think we may have been on the scene for more than eight hours on this particular fire. And we came out through the night, rechecking it, getting calls about smoke and some ambers, so we kept checking it. Just like today, I’m out here checking it again, just to make sure there is nothing that we believe will be reignited, or rekindled. But if it does, we’ll be on top of it.”

Sullivan says he believes the area is not at risk of relighting. 

This was not the only destructive fire to catch. Behind me is Gulfport Fire Station 2, which had an insulation fire inside the walls. Of course, the department responded, but it shows that fires can happen very quickly — anywhere and everywhere.

A company fixing the windows was grinding into the metal building when firefighters inside noticed the smell of smoke. 

They got the truck out of the station and geared up outside. Most of the fire was inside the attic, making it difficult to fight. The building is a total loss. 

“My main goal for today is getting temporary living quarters here for the guys so we can respond out of this area and protect this part of our community,” said Gulfport Fire Chief Billy Kelley. “We’re going to be moving them around a little bit and keeping them in this area as much as we can.” 

These firefighters are temporarily working out of the fire station on Pass Road.