Four-year-old honored for preventing fire

Four-year-old Alexa Powers, whose keen eye and determination may have saved a Bedford County landmark from fire, was named an honorary "junior deputy state fire marshal" and presented with everything from proclamations to stuffed animals during Tuesday night's meeting of Bedford County Board of Commissioners.

---

---

Powers is the daughter of Christopher and Brooke Powers of Murfreesboro. She was staying with her grandparents, Gary and Rhonda Cope, who live in the building which once served as Flat Creek School.

As the three of them were getting ready to leave for church on April 1, Alexa noticed smoke coming out of the building. Her grandparents could not see it at first but Alexa was persistent.

The Copes discovered that a magnifying makeup mirror was in just the right spot to reflect the sun's rays onto a cosmetic bag, which had begun to smolder.

Alexa's powers of observation and her persistence were credited with saving the historic structure.

Powers was recognized Tuesday night by county commissioner and Bedford County Fire Chief Mark Thomas. She was presented with a proclamation from Bedford County Mayor Eugene Ray, and was given a plaque and some stuffed toys by Shawn Moore of the Heart of Tennessee chapter of the American Red Cross.

Jeff Huddleston of the state fire marshal's office said that Tennessee Fire Marshal Leslie Newman has designated Alexa as an honorary junior deputy state fire marshal. Huddleston said he had other gifts for her as well.

Alexa took the presentation in stride, smiling at the fuss but with little to say.

Rhonda Cope took the occasion to warn the public of the potential dangers of magnifying mirrors, noting that in her job as a nurse she sees many such mirrors at nursing homes. She said warning labels should be required to caution the public against placing the mirrors where they might focus sunlight on a flammable object.

"People just don't realize that's a fire hazard," said Cope.