Stetson and Newport -
A pair of fires in the Newport area is keeping fire fighters busy.
Crews have been called in from as far away as Garland to keep up with the flames.
The first call came in around 1 a.m. from Mullen Road in Stetson.
We're told a couple and their son were sleeping when the son awoke to the sound of crackling in the wall.
The family saw flames, got out of the house and called 911.
They ran to a nearby garage to take cover.
When fire fighters arrived, flames were shooting out of the roof.
No surprise, the cold weather has caused problems for crews including broken water nozzles.
"Oh, it's terrible," says Stetson Fire Chief Kim Tracy. "I mean, we've got slip and fall issues, we've got frozen line issues. It's brutal fire fighting weather this time of year."
The Fire Marshal's office will investigate a cause. The Red Cross has been called to help the family.
Jean Hatch emailed TV-5, saying it was her home that caught fire.
She and Jimmi Brown lived there.
Hatch called the fire a rude awakening, saying "things can be replaced as we have insurance, unfortunately memories and pictures can not."
About an hour and a half later, another fire call came into the Newport Fire station, this time from Elm Street, less than 7 miles down the road.
We're told the owners of the home were awakened to the smell of smoke by their dog.
They got out safely.
The Dexter fire department's ladder truck had to be called in to fight the blaze.
No word yet on a cause.
Add your Comments