By Bonnie Culverhouse
One firefighter was injured in a blaze that demolished Dorcheat Seafood and Grill in Dixie Inn early today (Friday, Jan. 6).
“The man who was injured is a volunteer for Minden and Dixie Inn,” said Minden Fire Chief Kip Mourad. “Apparently it was a freak deal. A metal coupling snapped off of one of the hoses and hit him. It broke his leg in at least two places – maybe injured his foot.”
He was transported to a hospital in Shreveport.
Out of respect for privacy, Webster Parish Journal will await contact from the family before releasing his identity and more information on his injuries.
Brian Williams, Chief of Fire District 7 (Dixie Inn), said by 10:30 a.m., his men were putting out a few hot spots left by the flames.
The call came in at 4:15 a.m. and District 7’s first unit was on the scene within 5 minutes.
“There was a law enforcement officer there before anyone else, and when we got the call from him, we immediately requested the City of Minden respond with their ladder truck for an aerial device,” Williams said. “We also called Bossier Parish Fire District No. 1 for manpower to assist us.”
Williams described it as a “defensive attack” on the fire.
“At that point, we secured one water source from the Village of Dixie Inn water system, and one from a dry hydrant in a nearby pond,” he said. “Once we had that established, we started knocking down the fire.”
With enough personnel on the scene, Williams said Bossier’s fire district was released.
The state fire marshal’s office is handling the investigation.
Dorcheat Seafood and Grill was built as Bayou Inn in 1980 by E.B. Wall. It suffered a fire then. It was sold to Earl Uzzle, David Crews and most recently the Wesson family.
