GARFIELD — The three-bedroom one-bath house of William Rizley at 18290 Beaver Hollow was engulfed in flames by 8 a.m. Monday when a neighbor saw the flames and called 911.
Firefighters from Northeast Benton County (NEBCO), Avoca and Pea Ridge Fire Departments extinguished the flames that destroyed the house and a pickup truck parked behind the house.
Rizley, who was not injured, was initially believed to be inside the house because a neighbor had visited with him at the house shortly before the flames were seen. Soon after firefighters arrived, Rizley came walking out of the woods behind the house — barefooted. He said he had spent the night in the woods despite the 35-degree temperatures.