I'm a 911 Dispatcher in Alabama. I Got a Call From a House That Burned Down in 1994.

October 28, 2026

AI Summary

5 min read

The phone rang at 11:52 p.m. from an address that hadn't existed since 1994. The ALI display showed a name—Whitlow Wade—and a location: 3190 Old Cook Springs Road, Pell City. The dispatcher, Alex, answered before the second ring. On the other end, a seven-year-old girl named June whispered that her mother was hiding in the closet, that a man in the hallway was wearing her daddy's face. The call lasted 214 seconds. When Alex tried to call back, she got a recording: the number was not in service. The deputy she sent to the address reported back that there was no house—just a chimney, a concrete slab, and broom sedge. It smelled like it had just burned, he said, even in the rain.

This is the story of a 911 dispatcher in St. Clair County, Alabama, who received three identical calls from a child who died in a house fire in 1994. It is also the story of what she did about it.

The Call That Came from Nowhere

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What you'll learn

1 Timestamped Outline
2 (00:06) **Opening: A Stormy Drive to Work** - The narrator describes driving through heavy rain on Interstate 20, reflecting on seven years as a dispatcher and the kinds of calls she handles.
3 (03:55) **Arriving at the Dispatch Center** - The narrator enters the beige cinder-block center, meets her colleague Clifford, and begins her shift during a storm.
4 (06:05) **First Call: The Grandmother's Overdose** - The narrator handles a call from a teenager whose grandmother took too many pills, guiding them through first aid until paramedics arrive.
5 (07:17) **Jasper Fisher's Routine Call** - A regular caller, Jasper Fisher, reports the rain is falling "sideways" at his house.
6 (08:57) **The First Mysterious Call: June** - At 11:52 PM, line four lights up with an ALI display showing 3190 Old Cook Springs Road.
7 (11:38) **Randall's Baffling Report** - Deputy Randall arrives on scene and reports there is no house at the address—only a chimney and broom sedge.

+ Full timestamped outline available in the app

Show Notes

I'm a 911 Dispatcher in Alabama. I Got a Call From a House That Burned Down in 1994.