by Lisa Hinton-Valdrighi
KILMARNOCK—A house fire on May 31 was just slightly out of the jurisdiction of the Kilmarnock Police Department. That didn’t matter to Chief Cliff Dawson and Sgt. Jordan Russell.
“When you get a situation like that, that kind of call, you respond even if it’s not in your jurisdiction,” said Chief Dawson. “I’m not gonna let nobody burn, not on my watch.
“We responded anyway, and thank God we did,” he added.
Chief Dawson was near the intersection of James B. Jones Memorial Highway and Main Street and Sgt. Russell near Walmart when they heard the call dispatching Kilmarnock Volunteer Fire Department to smoke showing on Campbell Road in Corbin Lewis Estates. It was about 10:30 a.m.
Chief Dawson was the first to arrive on scene. “I saw heavy smoke and three cars in the driveway,” he said. “So I had a bad gut feeling someone was in the residence.”
The front door was locked and Chief Dawson heard the distinct crackling sound of fire on the other side….
