FORT SMITH, Ark — A Fort Smith man escaped from his home after an explosion and fire sparked by a space heater.
The house fire started at around 9:30 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 6, 2020, at a home on the corner of 21st and Jasmine Street in Fort Smith.
Homeowner Dwayne Thompson told 5NEWS he was inside the house when he heard his fire alarms go off. He took his dogs and exited his home.
Thompson said he then heard an explosion, and his neighbors came to help.
“I’d seen some smoke in the hallway so I open the garage door and that’s when I saw the flames,” Thompson said.
Thompson said no one else but he and his three dogs were in the house when the fire started. Thompson said he has a minor burn injury but is glad his dogs are safe.
The Fort Smith Fire Department was able to put out the fire in a few hours. Two cars in the garage and a majority of the house is a total loss.