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The Forge Ridge community of Claiborne County got to witness an act of dedication to service – possibly above and beyond the call of duty – during the overnight hours of Sept. 28-29 when a mutual aid call came in of a fire. The flames broiled up through the roof of an abandoned building and licked the night sky as volunteer fire departments arrived on scene.

Aid, which came from the volunteer fire departments located in the northern section of the county, battled the massive fire that was on its way to consuming a majority of the structure. Among those who answered the call were second year medical students from nearby Lincoln Memorial University. Each year, the Cumberland Gap Volunteer Fire Department secures a significant portion of its roster from LMU students.

The call came in on Sept. 28 at approximately 10:10 p.m. The flames were drenched at 1:30 a.m. the next morning, according to the fire station.

The call to action did not dampen the enthusiasm of the medical students who were facing an important exam at school early the next morning. When testing began at 8 a.m. the volunteer firefighters/students were there.

The North Claiborne Volunteer Fire Department sounded the alarm for mutual aid, which was also answered by the Harrogate and North Tazewell Volunteer Fire Stations. Emergency medical responders along with the Claiborne County Sheriff’s Office also responded to the fire.

There were no injuries reported. As of press time, the cause of the fire had yet to be determined.