Quick Thinking Gets Fire Under Control

Kim Benham, left, leads John Logston and his dog “Tuffy” away from his home Thursday as Bentonville firefighters work to contain a fire that broke out in the garage of Logston’s home at 308 Magnolia Drive in Bentonville. Logston and wife Charleta were uninjured in the fire. Benham, a home health care nurse, alerted the Logstons to the fire when she arrived at the home and discovered smoke coming from the garage.
GOOD TIMING
Kim Benham, left, leads John Logston and his dog “Tuffy” away from his home Thursday as Bentonville firefighters work to contain a fire that broke out in the garage of Logston’s home at 308 Magnolia Drive in Bentonville. Logston and wife Charleta were uninjured in the fire. Benham, a home health care nurse, alerted the Logstons to the fire when she arrived at the home and discovered smoke coming from the garage. GOOD TIMING

— Home health care provider Kimberly Benham’s first day with a new client was one to remember.

Benham had just arrived at 308 Magnolia Drive when she noticed a fire in the duplex’s garage Thursday morning. She immediately called 911.

Benham then rushed to the door and told the Logsdon family they needed to get out of the home.

“They didn’t know that anything was on fire,” Benham said. “It got scary. It (the fire) went up the wall so fast.”

Bentonville Fire Chief Brent Boydston said a discarded cigarette started the fire. There were no injuries, Boydston said.

Benham came to the residence to help care for John Logsdon, son Doug Logsdon said.

Doug Logsdon managed to get his black Isuzu out of the garage before the flames could get to it, he said.

Charleta Logsdon, John’s wife, sat in small black car parked in front of her home holding her white Pomeranian “Tuffy” as firefighters put out the fire. The television show “The Price is Right” could seen on the couple’s television inside as firefighters worked outside.

“It could have been a lot worst,” Doug Logsdon said. “My mom was shaken up pretty bad. She thought for a minute that she was going to lose everything.”

Doug Logsdon said the woman who lives on the other side of the duplex wasn’t at home at the time of the fire.

Benham had never met the Logsdons. It was her first day to go to their home.

“I got here just in time,” she said.

Doug Logsdon said he was grateful for Benham’s timing.

“It may have been a lot worse if she did not come by,” he said.

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