A $5 scratch-off ticket won a northeast Arkansas man $100,000 less than a week after a grass fire damaged his home and vehicles, state lottery officials said Thursday.
Anthony Vaughn bought the winning Multiplier Money ticket Wednesday at Jordan's Kwik Stop #22 on Kingshighway in Paragould, according to a news release.
The store clerk reportedly urged Vaughn, a Paragould resident, to buy one of the new instant tickets that had recently launched. Vaughn used the $5 he had left after paying for gas and immediately found that he'd won one of the game's $100,000 top prizes, the release stated.
Several Paragould residents were affected by a large grass fire Nov. 28, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette previously reported, including Vaughn, his wife, Samantha, and their three children. The family's home and three vehicles were damaged in the blaze, he told lottery officials.
Vaughn burned his arm going back into the house to rescue his dog, while his cats scattered and a chicken died in the fire, according to the release.
Vaughn said he plans to use his winnings to buy a new house in Greene County and to replace his wife's car as well as other things they lost in the fire.