A fire on Saturday, Feb. 20 at the edge of Polk County totally destroyed a home and now the county is addressing coverage since the home is closer to Henderson County fire departments than Polk.

The fire occurred at 1856 Spicer Cove Road, which is 22 miles away from the Sunny View Fire and Rescue Department, where the homeowners pay taxes.

The fire occurred at 4:18 p.m., according to Polk County Emergency Management Director and Fire Marshal Bobby Arledge and due to the location the Edneyville Fire Department responded as it was the closest to the home. The Edneyville Fire Department, located in Henderson County is approximately four miles from the area in Polk County. Spicer Cove Road is an area of Polk County only accessible from Henderson County.

Arledge said when the Edneyville Fire Department arrived on scene the home was fully involved in fire.

“They (Edneyville Fire Department) extinguished the fire and requested Polk County Fire Marshal and Sunny View fire Department to respond to the scene for the investigation of the fire,” said Arledge.

Arledge said the home was a total loss. He said he is unsure how many homes are in the area, but the county is looking into that currently.

“We are planning on meeting with Henderson County to see what we can do to resolve the issue,” said Arledge.

Polk County Manager Marche Pittman said Polk County takes public safety very seriously.

“Currently, we contract with Sunny View Fire and Rescue to cover this are of the county and Sunny View has a mutual aid agreement with the Edneyville Fire Department,” said Pittman. “The solution appears to not be optimal and needs a thorough evaluation by both counties.”

Pittman said he appreciates that the situation has been brought to his attention because there is nothing more important to him than the safety of all Polk’s citizens. The Polk County Fire Marshal is currently working with the Henderson County Fire Marshal’s Office to figure out the best way to handle these types of situations in the future, according to Pittman.

Pittman said the county has also spoken to Sunny View Fire and Rescue and they have expressed a desire to remedy the situation to better protect their residents.

“Going forward, we will be conducting a thorough evaluation of all our policies that affect citizens in the areas of Polk County that might be difficult to access,” said Pittman.