Members of the Butler Fire Department deserve praise for their performance Nov. 11 when confronted with a smoky attic blaze at the home of the William R. Smith family at 115 Third Ave.

Not only did the firefighters keep the flames from neighboring houses that are only a few feet away, but they were successful in preventing major damage to the Smith structure's second floor.

Reports indicated that the first floor sustained no significant damage.

The city is fortunate to have such well-trained individuals helping to protect lives and property. How quickly the firefighters got to the scene, set up operations and attacked the blaze after being called at 8:15 p.m. must not go unnoticed.

Considering the amount of smoke coming from the blaze prior to the fire department's being called to the scene, the fire had a considerable head start on the firefighters. Nevertheless, their skill and efficiency prevailed, not only on behalf of the Smiths, but also on behalf of the Third Avenue neighborhood as a whole.

A much more serious situation was averted.