Arkadelphia firefighters were dispatched to a house fire house at South 15th and Cutler streets at 4:29 a.m. Thursday.
Upon seeing smoke coming from the house at 1416 Cutler St., a neighbor called 911 to report the fire.
Firefighters arrived within 10 minutes to find smoke rolling out of the house. Fire Chief Ricky Arnold said the residents, whose names have yet to be released, are in Houston. They were later notified of the fire.
Crews fought heavy rain for almost two hours while also fighting the fire. After getting the flames under control, firefighters searched the house for the source of the fire. The fire reignited in several parts of the house, including the attic and near the north and south entrances.
One firefighter said the house had two ceilings, one of which was built to contain an air conditioning unit. This, he said, made it difficult to find the source of the fire.
Arnold said the structure would most likely be declared a “total loss.” Criminal investigators from the Arkadelphia Police Department arrived at 8 a.m.
Another small blaze was reported at 8:10 a.m. It was quickly extinguished.
AFD was also dispatched to Henderson State at 7:30 a.m. in reference to a smoke alarm. No fire was found, as it was discovered that a light ballast heated up, throwing a breaker and causing smoke.
Maintenance crews took care of the problem.
Arkadelphia, Ark. —
