Higginson mayor withdraws decision to terminate fire chief

The mayor of a White County town has withdrawn his termination of the town's fire chief, which happened after a dispute at a fire this week.

Higginson Mayor Randall Homsley had terminated Fire Chief Marvin Mathis but withdrew his decision Tuesday. Mathis had been accused of not letting members of the Higginson Fire Department respond to a fire Monday until he'd arrived at the fire station, which led to a delayed response.

The fire damaged a workshop but no one was injured. Neighbors told The Daily Citizen (http://bit.ly/1R8N3yU ) that they tried to put out the fire with garden hoses until the fire department arrived.

Mathis apologized Tuesday, saying that only certain members of the fire department are certified to operate some of the equipment, which can cause delays.

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