Fire Destroys Family Home

By ASHLEY BONE
Staff Reporter
abone@c-dh.net

A house fire last Friday afternoon destroyed a Spring Hill home.

Photo by Ashley Bone Smoke and fire billowed from the roof and second story windows of this home in the Newport Crossings subdivision last Friday.

Five fire trucks and a total of 22 personnel were on site for more than three hours to contain the blaze.

Spring Hill Fire Chief Jim Swindle said this was the first major fire in Spring Hill this year.

He said the response time from Campbell Station to the Newport Crossings home was six minutes.

“When we got there, the fire was already through the roof,” Swindle said, adding the siding on the home next door had collateral damage and was melted.

There were no reported injuries and the Foriest family, which includes 10 children, safely escaped the blaze.

Swindle said a pet cat was killed in the fire.

“The fire was caused by a gas-powered hot water heater near the washer and dryer on the first floor. The fire went up the stud wall and was on the second floor when we arrived,” he said.

Sandy, a neighbor who lives across the street, said the flames quickly engulfed the house.

“I ran to my house to get a fire extinguisher and by the time I got back to the fire, a window exploded,” she said.

Less than an hour after the fire started, bicycles in the backyard were the only sign of the Foriest family that had already evacuated the area.

A neighbor said the family had left because the children were upset watching their home burn down. Swindle said after a fire, the SHFD

refers victims to the Red Cross for assistance.

“They have family they are staying with until their insurance claim is processed,” Swindle said.

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