Erwinville Fire Kills Two Dogs, Destroys Home Amid Conflicting Response Time Accounts
Official 7-minute response time conflicts with witness accounts as community questions rural fire coverage
ERWINVILLE – A mobile home on Erwin Avenue was destroyed early Saturday morning, killing two dogs and leaving a family with nothing but the clothes they were wearing.
Travis Lee, a third-generation volunteer firefighter who is medically retired due to a traumatic brain injury, was not home when the fire broke out. He and his wife were at a family member's house when they received the call.
"My wife came in and said our house is on fire," Lee said. "We jumped in the car and jetted. By the time we got there, flames were out of both ends and off the roof."
According to the West Baton Rouge Fire Department, first responders received a call from a neighbor at 2:54 a.m. reporting a mobile home fully involved in flames. The first fire engine arrived in seven minutes and deployed a defensive attack - meaning the structure was already a total loss.
Two pets perished in the fire. The cause is under investigation, with electrical malfunction being evaluated.
Erwinville Fire Kills Two Dogs, Destroys Home Amid Conflicting Response Time Accounts
Official 7-minute response time conflicts with witness accounts as community questions rural fire coverage
ERWINVILLE – A mobile home on Erwin Avenue was destroyed early Saturday morning, killing two dogs and leaving a family with nothing but the clothes they were wearing.
Travis Lee, a third-generation volunteer firefighter who is medically retired due to a traumatic brain injury, was not home when the fire broke out. He and his wife were at a family member's house when they received the call.
"My wife came in and said our house is on fire," Lee said. "We jumped in the car and jetted. By the time we got there, flames were out of both ends and off the roof."
According to the West Baton Rouge Fire Department, first responders received a call from a neighbor at 2:54 a.m. reporting a mobile home fully involved in flames. The first fire engine arrived in seven minutes and deployed a defensive attack - meaning the structure was already a total loss.
Two pets perished in the fire. The cause is under investigation, with electrical malfunction being evaluated.
One Firefighter, One Truck
Multiple witnesses described a single firefighter on scene working alone when they arrived.
"The first truck had one fire fighter," said Diane Lee, Travis's mother. "He did his best to get hoses pulled and connected while the rest of the crew was coming from Port Allen."
Neighbor Kristy Leick, who posted video of the fire on social media, wrote that residents "waited 15 minutes for Port Allen fire department to get here" while one responder worked the scene.
A neighbor who witnessed the incident and asked not to be named provided a detailed timeline. She said she got home at 2:26 a.m. and smelled smoke but didn't know where it was coming from.
"My mom came and got me and told me she heard popping outside and saw his house on fire," the neighbor said. "She called 911 at 2:42 but there was someone who called before her. The ONE firefighter got there at 2:47, cop got there at 2:52."
She said she couldn't see when additional fire trucks arrived because they came from a different road.
The department stated the first engine "deployed a defensive attack" within seven minutes. But Travis Lee said when he arrived, the lone firefighter was still attempting to connect hoses to the hydrant - a task that typically requires multiple personnel.
Travis Lee, who attempted to fight the fire with a garden hose before family pulled him away, said the lone firefighter was still running five-inch hose to the hydrant when he arrived.
"He didn't drop it at the hydrant, wrap it around, and pull up to the house like he normally would," Lee said. "He was doing it all by himself."
"We No Longer Have Volunteers"
Lee spent his life around the fire service. His grandfather served. His father served. He volunteered from a young age until a TBI ended his ability to continue.
"That station was my life," Lee wrote on social media. "3rd gen born in to it and it was all I wanted to do. Now look I lost everything due to the fact the parish got rid of the volunteers."
His mother was more direct.
"Our politicians and part time chief created the situation where we no longer have volunteers that live in the neighborhood," Diane Lee wrote on Facebook. "The fire fighters did all that they could."
The fire has reignited community debate over fire coverage in rural parts of West Baton Rouge Parish. The Erwinville station is located nearby, but residents say staffing has declined since changes to the volunteer program.
"7 minutes but yet the station is basically down the street from where this fire happened," wrote Brogan Fairchild, who said he worked at the department full-time and volunteered since age 16. "No thanks it's clear we aren't needed."
Fire Department Response
West Baton Rouge Fire Department posted about the incident Saturday, stating the first engine arrived in seven minutes and crews deployed a defensive attack on the fully involved structure.
WBR Independent will file public records requests for dispatch logs and response documentation.
The West Baton Rouge Parish Fire Department operates under a contract with Browning Associates LLC, which provides part-time fire chief services. WBR Independent has previously reported on volunteer firefighter concerns and department governance issues.
Anyone with information about this incident or fire department response in West Baton Rouge Parish can contact WBR Independent at wbrindependent@gmail.com.
