Dike, Sulphur Bluff, Cumby, Brinker, North Hopkins, Hopkins County, Tira and Peerless firefighters and deputies were dispatched at 1:28 a.m. last Saturday to the State Highway 19 north property in Sulphur Springs, where a barn and a home were engulfed in flames, according to reports.
Sulphur Springs News-Telegram reported a Hopkins County family had to flee their State Highway 19 north residence just after the Christmas holiday. The parents and children made it out of the wood frame house without injury, but most of their home was destroyed in the blaze.
The resident said they were inside house just north of FM 1537 (outside of Birthright), which they’d been moving into since Thanksgiving, she was up cooking in readiness for a late Christmas. She heard what sounded like a breaker pop and one of her sons went outside to check on it. As the son got outside, someone pulled into their driveway to tell them to get out that their barn and part of their house was on fire.
Hopkins County Fire Marshall Mike Mathews believes the fire was likely electrical in nature.
According to the News-Telegram, the barn is a large metal structure used for storage as well as an office, located about five feet from the house. The blaze had continued to burn, catching the back part of the house on fire and spreading to the kitchen. Despite firefighters’ efforts, most of the house was damaged, with heat and smoke damage throughout in addition to the charred portions.
The Hopkins County chapter of the American Red Cross responded. They helped the family secure temporary lodging at a local motel, as well as funding to obtain basic necessities, and a local restaurant was helping provide meals.