Johnson minister and family escape fire unharmed

Friday, April 11, 2014

A Johnson minister, his wife and his 97-year-old father-in-law escaped a fire in his church's parsonage Friday.

The fire, reported at 8:54 a.m., started in the back of the parsonage, located next door to the Johnson Church of Christ, 5602 Elmore St.

Larry Culbreath, the church minister, his wife, Pat Clubreath, and father-in-law Worley Ferguson, got out of the house unharmed. They were told about the fire by a passer-by, who saw flames from the back of the building, Larry Culbreath said.

A Johnson firefighter and policeman were taken to Washington Regional Medical Center after falling in the sloping yard of the house, said Todd Andrews, Johnson assistant fire chief. Dogs in the house escaped unharmed but a cat died, Larry Culbreath said.