Tuesday Fire Destroys Putnam Co. Sawmill

A Tuesday afternoon fire destroyed a sawmill on Burgess Falls Road in Putnam County.

Deputy Fire Chief Mike Keith said crews responded to the scene around 2:40 p.m.

“We pulled out of the station on Willow Avenue and we could see black smoke at that point. When we pulled up it was fully involved,” Keith said. “We pulled several lines and called for some assistance with Cookeville city, but it was a total loss for the most part.”

Keith said fire crews did manage to salvage a tractor and a few other items.

No injuries occurred and a cause has not been determined.

“We know an area of origin is around an air compressor, but at this point we aren’t exactly sure what the cause is,” Keith said.

The incident forced authorities to close Burgess Falls Road between Old Salem Road and Forest Circle Road.

“Everybody driving in that area needs to be safe because there is some water on the roadway,” Keith said. “We have contacted the state and they are going to put out some salt for us to try to prevent accidents.”

Firefighters put out the blaze around 4 p.m. and left the scene just after 5 p.m.