The Obion County, Tenn. family whose home burned on Sept. 29 while firefighters watched from their truck has insurance to payoff their mortgage but not enough to cover everything lost or to rebuild, according to the family and their insurance agent.
The fire chief of the nearby city of South Fulton refused to put out the fire that took the home of Gene and Paulette Cranick because they were not on the list of property owners who had paid the $75 annual subscription fee for fire protection services. Property owners outside the South Fulton city limits must pay a fee if they want the service; the county does not offer fire service.
Paulette Cranick said they had been away and forgot to pay the fee this year but have paid it in years past. The Cranicks have lived on the farm for 40 years, 21 of them in the modular home that burned.
The family has coverage with Farm Bureau Insurance through local agent, Josh Simmons, who raced to the scene of the fire as soon as he learned about it. Simmons says the insurance company would not refuse or reduce payouts on the fire loss just because the fee has not been paid. Neither Cranick nor Simmons would confirm the amount of the policy.
"It's not enough to rebuild but it's better than nothing at all," said Paulette Cranick.
The home reportedly caught fire after a trash-burning fire started by the Cranicks' grandson grew out of control. The Cranicks said they called 911 but the fire department from the South Fulton city fire department would not respond because they were not on the list of subscribers.
The firemen only acted after the Cranicks' fire spread to an adjacent field. They are required to respond to brush fires, according to Simmons. But that did not help the Cranicks.
"It [the Cranicks' home] could have been saved, no doubt," said Simmons.
Simmons said he knows of one other time this has happened. He said the insurance policy has a provision for a reduction in payouts if a fire protection service has not been subscribed but that the insurer has not enforced that in these situations.
The Cranicks said they also forgot to pay their fire service fee on time about three years ago. But the fire department then did not hesitate to put out a chimney fire and let them pay the fee the next day.