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	Abandoned residence four to five houses north of the Brushes Sign Shop off Hwy North 67 in Walnut Ridge.
Walnut Ridge Fire Department volunteers struggle in black and white on December 25, 2003
	The night illuminated by the camera's flash as well as the lights from the pumper truck pictured below through the haze and smoke December 25, 2003.
Two trucks were dispatched at the abandoned residence fire at Walnut Ridge December 25, 2003.
	Illumination provided by the fire as well as the four lights that the Walnut Ridge Firetruck has on it's pole beside the volunteer that operates the pumper as the rest of the Walnut Ridge Firemen put out the remaining blaze.
The roof was collapsing as fire ate its way through the shingles as the firemen battled relentlessly to no avail fighting the totally engulfed house Christmas morning December 25, 2003.

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2513 S.E. Front Hoxie - Feb 25, 2005
Hoxie Fire Department called on Walnut Ridge Fire Department to help battle the residential fire at
2513 S.E. Front St Hoxie shortly after lunch on February 25, 2005.

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Walnut Ridge Fire Department Meets Matthew Abato - March 20, 2005

Sunday, March 20, 2005 around 3:15 p.m., a white and blue Leer Jet flew in to Walnut Ridge
Regional Airport following a radio call be met with a fire truck upon landing. No it wasn't a in flight
fire that was the reason behind the request to be met with such a specialized vehicle but rather their
small passenger's request to be shown a fire truck during his short layover at Walnut Ridge.

Matthew Abanto, age 7, from Fishkill, New York (76 miles North of New York City) was on his way to
Dallas, Texas to the Baylor College of Medicine and Texas Pediatric Hospital the only place in the Nation
that specializes in the condition that plagues little Matthew Abanto and many other children as well.
Matthew's illness, a fatal condition with no known treatment to guarantee survivorship, dictates
that he travel to Dallas up to four times a year for experimental treatment and scores of medical test.
Being transported in a Leer Jet, converted into a air ambulance, from New York to Houston by
Intensive Air Ambulance with it's home office from Clearwater, Florida, the flight crew stopped over in
Walnut Ridge for fuel and a bite to eat as well to fulfill their passenger's request if possible.

Fireman Thacher from the Walnut Ridge Fire Department drove a pumper truck out to meet Matthew
just to bring a smile on his face knowing what all he has and will face in the future no matter how
short that maybe. Matthew was driven around the airport's tarmac by Fireman Thacher for a short
time and assisted helping Matthew into the overly large Oshkosh fire truck that's on duty at the airport
for a closer look. Sounding the siren and pulling the cord on the loud air horns of the Walnut Ridge
fire truck was the signal that Matthew's visit with the Fire Truck and Fireman Thacher was at a end.

 

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Morgan Portable Building Mfg Plant Burns - June 16, 2005
At approximately 7:50 P.M. June 16, 2005 the alarm went out that Morgan Portable Building Manufacture
was on fire and fire departments from Walnut Ridge, Hoxie and Pocahontas were called in on the fire.
Pocahontas brought their ladder truck and sprayed the fire from almost a half a block away with
their ladder stuck high up into the sky. Hoxie and Walnut Ridge fought the fire side by side on the North
side of the building well into the evening after the sun had set.

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House Fire June 17, 2005
The Walnut Ridge Volunteer Fire Department was called to a structure fire at the corner of
302 S.E. Third and E. Georgia near 11:00 P.M. to find the house purging smoke from
it's eves and chimney. The Fire Department worked quickly and extinguished the fire
before any or much damage was caused to the house. When venturing inside with smoke
still hanging the charred walls indicated that the fire started some where near the attic entrance
and attic. The kitchen walls indicated how intense the heat had become with plastic brick bract
melting where it was hung as decorations.

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