The Starkville Fire Department provides a shelter for victims of house fires to find relief. The Starkville Fire Department Temporary Burn Shelter is now open and located in Pecan Acres Housing Authority in Starkville.
 The fire department and housing authority thought it would be great idea to partner in hopes to providing help to fire victims. Plans and preparations began this past spring in April. 
 The fire department remodeled the old brick fire building at 197 Pecan Acres, which is a first for Starkville residents. 
   For those in need, the shelter will provide housing for three to five days after a fire. Depending on the case and need of the victim, longer stays at the shelter may be available.
 Starkville Housing Authority will cover all of the fees in the shelter during the stay. 
  The fire chief and fire department presented the idea to officials early April, and after receiving instantaneous support from city leaders, they went through with the project and quickly got it up and running. 
  Fire Department Chief, Charles Yarbrough said he aspired to do something to benefit everyone in the community.
  “People lose their houses in the middle of the night, and the last thing we want them to worry about is where they are going to stay,” Chief Yarbrough said.
The chief continued by saying, people can stay with relatives, but the shelter will help them gain peace of mind in an instant of distress.
 “We want people to understand and realize that we are here for them and will do anything to help them get on their feet,” Yarbrough said.
Senior chemical engineering major Winston Kimmel and his roommates lost their shared home last spring to a house fire.
“I think that any additional help for victims of house fires is a good idea,” Kimmel said. “Being in that situation really makes you feel much more alone than most people realize, and just knowing that there is someone ready and willing to help is very beneficial.”
   The shelter will be a point for donors and volunteers to bring items to the victims who are in need or would just like to help.
  Kimmel said having a specific fire shelter would have been a great help to him and his roommates after their fire, but not necessarily for lodging; they all stayed at friend’s houses nights after the fire, but mainly for relief.
 
The shelter will be a point for donors and volunteers to bring items to the victims who are in need or would just like to help.
    Kimmel said having a specific fire shelter would have been a great help to him and his roommates after their fire, but not necessarily for lodging; they all stayed at friends’ houses nights after the fire, but mainly for relief.
  “The days after the fire were very confusing for us because we were scrambling all over Starkville and Columbus to get different donations and things for relief (Red Cross, Salvation Army, etc. all contributed), and having one place to go to get all those things would have been very helpful.” Kimmel said.
Mississippi State University will be hosting an event of fire safety in honor of Fire Safety week on Tuesday, Sept. 27 from 9 a.m. until noon. The event will take place in front of the Colvard Student Union. 
    No registration is required for this event, and a few of the activities will include: fire truck demonstrations, fire extinguisher training and kitchen fire extinguisher training. 
  “Students should come out to the event, we want to stress to them fires are a serious matter, and stopping by to get information will help them to learn safety precautions,” Yarbrough said.
 The Starkville Fire Department and the Office of Human Resources urges students and faculty to stop by and learn something new.