Albany woman perishes in fire

By Melinda L. Lucas

In addition to dealing with paralyzing cold during the last few days, Albany citizens have been stunned by two devastating house fires that took the life of a local woman and  completely destroyed both homes.

Melvina Irene Fryar was in her family home on Kenshalo Street when fire was reported around 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 16. She graduated from Albany High School in 1969 and had lived in Albany for most of her life.

The structure was already fully involved when emergency vehicles arrived, but because of the extreme temperatures and freezing water supplies, fire fighters were further hampered in their efforts to get the blaze under control.

Fryar, who grew up in the home with her parents, was the only occupant other than a pet dog, with that body also recovered Wednesday morning.

It was not known at press time what caused the fire, according to Albany fire chief Kyle Tischler, who said that the fire department was released about 11:30 p.m. The AFVD was assisted by the Shackelford County Rural Fire Department.

Albany police chief Mike House was still at the site about 1:00 a.m. Wednesday morning, and said that he and other officers rotated throughout the night to secure the scene and waited for daylight to start a search.

“A witness heard someone inside after arriving at the fire,” said House. “Because the fire was still so hot and because of the weather, we needed to wait until daylight to start any kind of search.”

Because of the fatality, the fire investigation is ongoing, with the Texas State Fire Marshall’s office notified.

A neighbor, Bud Mitchell, was helped from his home by volunteers. 

“The home next door suffered extensive exterior damage but luckily was saved,” said Tischler.

Wilkins Fire

Longtime city police chief Lynn Wilkins, now retired, and his wife Diane lost everything when their house on Gordon Street went up in flames early Saturday morning.

Wilkins said his dog woke him up about 2:30 a.m., and after he detected smoke, he told Diane they needed to get out.

The blaze was in the attic between the original roof and an addition, making it difficult to fight, according to Tischler.

“We began losing ground after a few hours and had to move to a defensive attack due to the failing condition of the structure,” he said.

The rural department again assisted.

“The weather was horrible,” said Tischler. “It was 18 degrees. Our people began to wear down, and each became encased in ice.”

Lynn Wilkins expressed gratitude for the volunteer fire fighters’ efforts.

“They managed to save some personal items out of the house even though the fire had already spread,” he said. “I know it was miserable for them.”

The couple was about to start an extensive renovation of the home, where they have lived for the past 48 years.