Passerby alerts Vernon residents to midnight house fire

VERNON – The occupants of a home that caught fire late last night made it out safely, thanks in large part to a passerby.

The fire started just before midnight yesterday, Nov. 6, in the 5000 block of Bella Vista Road, deputy fire chief Jack Blair says.

The fire appears to have started outside the attached garage and quickly spread into the soffit and attic space above. Two people were inside the home when the fire started.

“They were alerted by a passerby on Bella Vista who saw the flames,” Blair says.

Both occupants got out safely. By the time fire crews arrived, one exterior wall was heavily engulfed in flames. The garage was left badly damaged, while the home itself suffered mainly water damage.

Fire investigators are on site today, Nov. 7, taking a closer look at the scene under the light of day. In particular, they will be looking at a number of garbage cans and other items stacked against the outside wall of the garage where the fire appears to have originated.

“We’ll look for plug-ins, electrical cords that may have been plugged in. Had anything been placed in those garbage cans earlier in the day? That type of thing,” Blair says.

— This story was updated at 11 a.m. Nov. 7, 2016 to change the main photo. 

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