A group of Boy Scouts recently put their mantra into action when they put out a fire at a church in Cleveland County.
Scouts with troop 39 out of Matthews were on their way to Camp Grimes in Nebo on Oct. 17 when the unusual occurrence unfolded.
Scout leader Jason Yepko was driving one of several vehicles in the caravan when he looked over and saw flames outside of Calvary’s Cross Baptist Church on Mt. Zion Church Road in Casar.
Yepko said he pulled over and parked his car a good distance from the flames then took water the troop had on hand to douse the waist-high flames of one of two fires on the perimeter of the church.
Once the bigger fire was out, the teens came over to help with the second neighboring blaze.
When they ran out of water, they used their cups of soda from a fast food restaurant to put out the second fire, and Yepko called 911.
“We were at the right place at the right time,” Yepko said.
The troop searched the area for any additional flames then backed away for safety while firefighters arrived. Shortly after, the call came in about a second church fire down the road, and firefighters raced to the scene.
Yepko said he and the five scouts with him took some time to chat with the pastor before heading to camp for the weekend.
“To their credit, they did an awesome job,” Yepko said.
He said what the boys learned that day is the principle of scouting.
“Do a good turn daily. Couldn’t think of a better example of trying to live that,” he said.
Cleveland County Fire Marshal Perry Davis said he couldn’t speak too much about the fires as the Sheriff’s Office is conducting an investigation, but he did tip his hat to the group of guys who helped mitigate the situation.
“I’m very appreciative of people in the community who have witnessed these events and minimized the damage,” he said.
The Cleveland County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the fire at Calvary’s Cross Baptist Church and the one that occurred around the same time at Tabernacle Baptist Church on Corinth Church Road in Casar.
They ask that anyone with information call the Cleveland County Sheriff’s Office at704-484-4822 or Crimestoppers, 704-481-8477.
This article originally appeared on The Shelby Star: Cleveland County church fires still under investigation
About the Author
