Crews Battle Blaze At East 6th Street Home

The Cookeville Fire Department responded Thursday afternoon to a residential fire on East 6th Street.

The Putnam County Fire Department has also responded to the scene. Officials with the county fire department said crews moved to a defensive attack due to deteriorating conditions inside the structure.

Cookeville City Mayor Ricky Shelton confirmed the fire occurred at the home of former Tennessee Tech President Bob and Gloria Bell.

“It’s sad for them and I certainly hate it,” Shelton said. “We’ll keep that family in our prayers.”

Shelton said no one was injured in the fire. The cause of the fire is currently unknown.

“Anytime you have an emergency situation like that, we always want to remember the folks directly affected,” Shelton said. “But also [remember] our emergency workers who work so hard to put themselves in harms way and save structures.”

Shelton said some firefighters were taken to the hospital due to heat exhaustion and smoke inhalation.