A sleeping Arkoma, Oklahoma man is pulled from his burning home by a neighbor.
It all happened while his wife and daughter were out shopping. The fire broke out here around 1 o'clock Thursday afternoon. Within minutes the fire had completely destroyed the home. Fortunately, nobody was hurt. But the fire took everything the family owned.
"By the time we got there it was completely engulfed and there wasn't much we could do about it," said Arkoma Police Chief Mike King. King says he thinks the fire was started by faulty electrical wiring.
He said the house was older, adding to the fire risk.
Firefighters were battling more than flames as they worked to extinguish the fire that eventually destroyed a home.
Loose power lines caused difficulties for the firefighters.
"When we got the call, it was pretty much engulfed and when the first guys showed up the electrical was going off. We always call OGE to undo the electrical but there is always a little lag time between them getting there and us. We're usually the first on the scene and sometimes it makes for an interesting situation," said King.
Neighbor Anna Dame was next door when she saw the house on fire.
She ran over to make sure nobody was home.
Someone was, and she helped the man, who did not want to go on camera, out of the home. "He's not very happy and I don't blame him. I'd be unhappy too if it was my house and I lost everything," said Dame.
Now the neighborhood is pulling together to help get the family back on their feet. "I'm thinking of making a donation around the neighborhood and seeing if we can get him going again," she said.
And firefighters and those involved are looking on the bright side.
"It was a total loss of their stuff in the house, but at least nobody got hurt," said King.
Firefighters remained on the scene for hours as they shifted through the rubble to make sure the fire was completely extinguished.
It all happened while his wife and daughter were out shopping. The fire broke out here around 1 o'clock Thursday afternoon. Within minutes the fire had completely destroyed the home. Fortunately, nobody was hurt. But the fire took everything the family owned.
"By the time we got there it was completely engulfed and there wasn't much we could do about it," said Arkoma Police Chief Mike King. King says he thinks the fire was started by faulty electrical wiring.
He said the house was older, adding to the fire risk.
Firefighters were battling more than flames as they worked to extinguish the fire that eventually destroyed a home.
Loose power lines caused difficulties for the firefighters.
"When we got the call, it was pretty much engulfed and when the first guys showed up the electrical was going off. We always call OGE to undo the electrical but there is always a little lag time between them getting there and us. We're usually the first on the scene and sometimes it makes for an interesting situation," said King.
Neighbor Anna Dame was next door when she saw the house on fire.
She ran over to make sure nobody was home.
Someone was, and she helped the man, who did not want to go on camera, out of the home. "He's not very happy and I don't blame him. I'd be unhappy too if it was my house and I lost everything," said Dame.
Now the neighborhood is pulling together to help get the family back on their feet. "I'm thinking of making a donation around the neighborhood and seeing if we can get him going again," she said.
And firefighters and those involved are looking on the bright side.
"It was a total loss of their stuff in the house, but at least nobody got hurt," said King.
Firefighters remained on the scene for hours as they shifted through the rubble to make sure the fire was completely extinguished.
