An overnight house fire destroyed most of a Tontitown home at 1866 Kissinger early Thursday.
No one was injured in the fire reported at 3:16 a.m., said Mayor Paul Colvin. Firefighters arrived two minutes after the call, Colvin said.
Jeremy Hogan, 27, of Springdale was around the corner and uphill from the house when he saw a glow. He said Thursday at first it just seemed out of place, then he could tell it was fire.
Hogan, a newspaper carrier for the Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, told his wife to call 911. He pulled into the driveway and ran to the front door to warn anyone inside, he said.
The garage was on fire, and he could see the ceiling collapsing onto a Ford Bronco inside, he said.
A woman living in the home later told him she awoke and heard the dogs barking and was going to go back to sleep when she heard his vehicle tearing down the driveway and knew something was wrong, Hogan said.
"There was a reason for me to be driving down that road," he said.
Hogan took the couple's five young children to his vehicle and the four adults frantically made repeat 911 calls. The couple were both firefighters with Tontitown, Hogan said, and the man left and returned minutes later with a firetruck. He was the first truck to arrive, Hogan said.
Hogan said he made his first 911 call at 3:13 a.m.
There were smoke alarms inside the house, the couple told him. It's unclear why they didn't go off. The couple told Hogan they were renting, but had insurance.
A power line leading into the house was hanging over the garage, he said.
Fire damaged the garage and got into the attic, causing a partial collapse of the roof in the center of the house, Colvin said. The house also had smoke damage.
Tontitown firefighters were at the fire until 8:15 a.m. putting out hot spots, Colvin said.
The Washington County Fire Marshal is investigating the cause.
NW News on 11/06/2015