Eatonton Fire Department

A boat adrift on Lake Sinclair is fully engulfed Friday morning before Putnam County firefighters arrive. CONTRIBUTED

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Blazes burn boat, barn

Lynn Hobbs

Wednesday, July 29, 2026

Putnam County Fire Department firefighters fought a barn fire Thursday evening, July 23, and a boat fire Friday morning, July 24, according to Fire Chief Thomas McClain. No one was injured in either incident.

Eatonton Messenger/File Photo

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Eatonton storage shed fire full of mysteries

Lynn Hobbs

Thursday, January 8, 2026

Eatonton Fire Department firefighters responded to a fire call Monday night and found a shed fully engulfed in flames.Eatonton Fire Chief Jamey Williamson said the building was an old wooden storage shed approximately 16 ft. by 40 ft. with a tin roof.

L-R: Eatonton Fire Chief Jamey Williamson, EFD Deputy Chief Cooper Rainey, EFD Firefighter of the Year Captain Matt Kitchens, EFD Deputy Chief Rodney Vining, and EFD Captain Armando Moreno. CONTRIBUTED

EFD hands out 2025 honors at annual banquet

Ian Tocher

Thursday, January 8, 2026

The Eatonton Fire Department recognized service, leadership, and decades of dedication during its annual awards night and banquet Dec. 12 at Barrel 118 in downtown Eatonton.EFD Chief Jamey Williamson presented the department’s Firefighter of the Year Award to EFD Captain Matt Kitchens.

Just some of the bicycles and other toys purchased last year for the Fireman Santa’s Sleigh campaign, which the Eatonton Fire Department Chief Jamey Williamson hopes to exceed this year. CONTRIBUTED

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EFD ready to fill Fireman Santa’s Sleigh again

Ian Tocher

Wednesday, November 5, 2025

Tis the season for giving, and the Eatonton Fire Department (EFD) is getting into the Christmas spirit through its 16th annual Fireman Santa’s Sleigh campaign for kids and families living within city limits. Officially, Eatonton’s city boundary extends in a 2.

Joey “Superman” Davis (left) receives his retirement plaque from Eatonton Mayor John Reid. CONTRIBUTED

‘Superman’ receives retirement recognition

Ian Tocher

Wednesday, June 4, 2025

Deputy Fire Chief Joey Davis’s last day on the job with the Eatonton Fire Department was March 31, leading to his 23 years and nine months of service being recognized prior to a city council meeting early last month. Davis received a plaque commemorating the occasion from Eatonton Mayor John Reid.

Eatonton Messenger/File Photo

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City okays new fire training facility, tornado siren testing

Ian Tocher

Wednesday, April 30, 2025

At the Eatonton City Council meeting on April 21, councilmembers heard a proposal to lease property on Church Street from the Eatonton-Putnam Water and Sewer Authority to develop and build a fire department training facility by using Conex shipping containers to build a “smoke room.

Firefighter Denise Hill and Fire Chief Jamey Williamson share the story of the search for the missing man who, ironically, Hill had just met the day before he got lost. LYNN HOBBS/Staff

Man lost in brush found safe by firefighter

Lynn Hobbs

Wednesday, April 23, 2025

A lost Eatonton man was found safe a few hours after he was reported missing. The timing of his rescue seemed preordained, as his rescuer had just met him the day before.James Timothy Smith, 48, was last seen when he purchased some groceries from Ingles in Eatonton around 3:30 p.m.

Yellow crime tape surrounds the burned mobile home on East Marion Street Monday. The left side of the home was completely burned away, and the rest of the interior gutted and/or charred by the flames. LYNN HOBBS/Staff

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Blaze that razed home under investigation

Lynn Hobbs

Wednesday, April 16, 2025

A house fire that destroyed a home in Eatonton on Sunday morning is under investigation, officials say.Eatonton Fire Department was called out to the 400 block of East Marion Street about 1:30 a.m. April 13, Eatonton Fire Chief Jamey Williamson said.

Eatonton Messenger/File Photo

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Fire destroys Eatonton mobile home; family safe

Lynn Hobbs

Thursday, March 13, 2025

A fire claimed the home of an Eatonton man and his 18-year-old daughter Friday, March 7, Eatonton Fire Chief Jamey Williamson said. No one was injured.“But it destroyed the home,” Williamson added.The fire department received the call from Putnam County’s 911 dispatcher at 12:30 p.m.

Both Eatonton and Putnam County firefighters responded to Wednesday’s blaze on Mulberry Street in Eatonton. IAN TOCHER/Staff

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Fire destroys three houses in Eatonton

Lynn Hobbs

Wednesday, March 5, 2025

According to Eatonton Fire Department Chief Jamey Williamson, last week, firefighters responded to fires at three different houses last week, according to Eatonton Fire Chief Jamey Williamson. All three buildings were vacant, and no one was injured.

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