FATALITY IN FIRE AT ROYAL LAKE
A mobile home fire early Tuesday afternoon in Royal Lake claimed one life. According to Bond County Sheriff Jeff Brown, the sheriff’s office received a call asking for an officer to check the wellbeing of a person in Royal Lake due to prior psychiatric problems. Deputies made contact with Robert Alford, age 52, of Mulberry Grove at his mother’s home at 1153 Michigan Avenue. Alford allegedly tried to throw gasoline on the deputies and he went back into the trailer. Shortly thereafter, deputies could see smoke and fire inside the trailer. They tried several times to get Alford to come out without success. Smithboro Firefighters were called to the fire just after noon. Smithboro Fire Chief Dale Deverick said the fire started in the kitchen area but the cause is unknown. Mulberry Grove and Greenville Firefighters were called for mutual aid. Sheriff Brown said when the fire was extinguished, Alford was found deceased on the bathroom floor. Damage to the home was extensive, especially in the kitchen and living room areas. The Illinois State Fire Marshall was called to investigate the origin of the fire and the fire scene. The investigation continues by the State Fire Marshal, Bond County Sheriff’s Department and Bond County Coroner. No one else was in the home at the time of the fire and no firefighters were injured. Firefighters were on the scene for more than four hours.
FEBRUARY 2011 PRECIPITATION TOTALS FOR GREENVILLE
Greenville and Bond County received all types of winter precipitation in February. Greenville recorded an average of 2.22 inches of rain, 7.38 inches of snow, one half inch of ice and three inches of sleet. The three and one half inches of ice and sleet is much more than has been seen in Greenville in the past 44 years. One half inch of sleet was recorded in 1987. February rainfall was about average and the more than seven inches of snow places tenth highest with nine Februarys in the past 44 years with more than seven inches of snow.
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