An early morning fire destroyed the home of seven in the 2400 block of County Road 159 near Bangs. The home was a complete loss; however, no injuries were sustained during the blaze according to the homeowners.
Homeowner Pam Fuqua, a teacher at the Bangs elementary school for 26 years, stated that she and the family are all doing okay; no one was injured, but that they are overwhelmed with the morning’s loss.
“It’s overwhelming, we have nothing now, just the clothes we had on,” said Mrs. Fuqua. “But we’re making it. We all got out and that is what matters.”
The residents of the two-story home consisted of Mr. and Mrs. Fuqua, their two teenage daughters along with another daughter, her husband and 2-year-old child who were in the home when the fire occurred. According to Mrs. Fuqua, they awoke because the smoke detectors alerted.
“It felt like a dream, we heard the smoke detector and you think it’s all a dream,” said Fuqua. “What’s sad is that all of our pictures, the videos of the kids, they are all gone. Our son works in Colorado and all his things are destroyed too.”
She explained that her oldest daughter and her husband, who was just discharged from the Air Force, had been staying with them while they remodeled another home which they will move into soon.
With their Christian faith, the support of their church and the Bangs school, and immediate assistance from the Red Cross, the family felt comforted and know that they can start over, Fuqua indicated.
Mrs. Fuqua stated that the fire started in the garage, but that it spread very quickly.
Fire Marshal Buddy Preston confirmed Monday afternoon that the fire had started in the attached garage of the home before 3 AM Monday morning. He explained that heat lamps used to keep the family’s dogs and cats warm overnight ignited the fire. The home was a complete loss according to Preston who stated only a slab and a chimney remain.
