LITTLE ROCK — An early morning fire destroyed a home in Magazine on Thursday, but all 10 people in the home at the time got out safely.
Magazine Police Chief Boyd Hicks said the home of Glenn and Sherry Schmitt on Arkansas 10 caught fire about 4:30 a.m.
Three couples and two children lived in the home, and there were two other people visiting at the time of the fire, Hicks said. The occupants ranged in age from four months to 79 years, he said.
One couple sleeping in a bedroom awoke to the smell of smoke, Hicks said. The couple told Hicks the wall was glowing with fire, which he said led him to believe the fire started in a fuse box on the other side of the wall.
The couple tried to put out the fire with a fire extinguisher but failed, Hicks said. They woke the others in the home and got them out safely. Several dogs in the house also escaped the fire, but Hicks said one dog died.
About 30 firefighters from Magazine, Blue Mountain and Driggs fire departments responded to the alarm and battled the blaze until about 8 a.m., Hicks said.
The firefighters were able to keep the fire from spreading to homes and a camper trailer on either side of the house, he said. Snow on the roofs of neighboring homes also may have helped prevent the fire’s spread, he said.
The Red Cross is providing assistance to the family, Hicks said.
Arkansas, Pages 14 on 12/28/2012