Fire destroys Kennett home

Daily Dunklin Democrat

No one was injured, but two family pet dogs were killed in a fire that destroyed a residence in Kennett Tuesday.

City fire marshal Scott Tutor said the one-story brick home, located at 803 S. Vandeventer, was owned by Chris and Lisa Barksdale. Lisa Barksdale had left to take their children to school when the fire broke out, he said.

The fire department was notified through a 911 call at 7:46 a.m. of the fire. When firefighters arrived, flames and heavy smoke were already pouring from the structure, Tutor said.

"It took us about 15 minutes to bring the flames under control," said Tutor. "We remained on the scene for about four hours putting out hot spots and investigating the cause of the fire."

The interior of the house was gutted, he said.

The vinyl siding of a nearby residence was damaged from the heat of the blaze.

Another neighbor told authorities of hearing an explosion and seeing a flash of light. Tutor said that was the result of an electrical transformer blowing out.

A state fire marshal investigator was called in to help in pinpointing the exact cause of the fire, Tutor said, and it will likely be ruled accidental-electrical. It started around an electric circuit breaker panel, he said.

An account to help the Barksdale family has been set up at the Mid-County Branch of Senath State Bank in Kennett. Anyone wishing to help the family may make a donation to that account.