Family loses home
By Catharin Shepard
Published in News on December 23, 2010 1:46 PM
DUDLEY - A Dudley family was burned out of their home early this morning in a house fire that firefighters say was started by a malfunctioning exterior light.
Smoke detectors woke up Paul Moody, his wife and their two children around 3:30 a.m. at their home at 126 Brewington Drive in Dudley.
A light placed in a doghouse next to the home likely started the blaze, Dudley Fire Department Assistant Chief Chris Pearsall said.
"He had a doghouse behind his house and it had a light in it to keep his dogs warm, and it malfunctioned somehow. It caught the doghouse on fire," Pearsall said.
The fire spread to the building exterior and reached the attic of the house. That was when the smoke alarms went off and the homeowner realized the house was on fire, and called emergency responders, officials reported.
Firefighters from the fire departments in Dudley, Arrington and Mount Olive responded to the scene at around 3:30 a.m.
"When we got there, it was fully involved," Pearsall said.
The family and the firefighters were not injured. The house was considered a total loss. Pearsall was unsure what happened to the family's dogs.
The victims plan to stay with family for the immediate future, Pearsall reported. The fire department made a donation to the family.