Friday morning at approximately 11:30 a.m. Decatur County Fire and Rescue, with the assistance of Bainbridge Public Safety responded to a house fire on Aryola Drive.

DCFR Chief Charlie McCann said they believe the fire started when the hot water heater shorted out, however the team was able to control the fire in less than 15 minutes, allowing the home to still be livable. The homeowner was in the house when the fire started, but McCann said she made it out without any injuries.

Although the house is not a total loss, McCann said it will take a lot of work to get it back in shape, for this reason he reminds everyone to always check their smoke detectors.

“Always make sure your batteries are working and that the smoke detector is operating correctly,” McCann reiterated.

During the attempt to extinguish the fire, BPS Investigator Mark Esquivel was unintentionally hit by a firetruck and suffered injuries to both legs. He was then taken to Tallahassee Memorial Hospital, where he had surgery to stabilize his left leg that was broken in three places. The right leg seemed to just be bruised. Esquivel had an additional surgery on Monday to repair the leg. The surgery reportedly went smoothly and the surgeon reported it should heal nicely. Esquivel’s wife reported he still has a long road ahead of him, but she is thankful for the prayers and that he is okay.

Esquivel told BPS he has also really appreciated the prayers and messages and hopes to be back to work soon.