No serious injuries in Pocahontas fire

A family of five was preparing to celebrate their son’s 22nd birthday with a visiting friend when they discovered a growing fire in the utility room of their Pocahontas home at 257 Church St.

Homeowner Tonya Brandon discovered the fire about 6:30 p.m., and all the occupants were able to escape the house, including the family dog, even though they were each in different rooms.

She said her husband, Rich Brandon, inhaled some smoke when he tried to re-enter the house to grab some belongings and was treated briefly by emergency personnel at the scene.

No one else was hurt.

Tonya Brandon said flames were visible from second-floor windows of the brick house, and there was heavy smoke within 15 minutes.

A member of the Fruitland Fire Department works to extinguish a house fire Thursday in Pocahontas.Glenn Landberg

Fruitland firefighters arrived shortly thereafter.

Fruitland Fire Department, North Cape Girardeau County Fire Protection District, East Cape Girardeau County Fire Protection District, Gordonville Fire Department and Jackson Fire Department all responded to the fire.

The blaze was contained by 8 p.m., but Fruitland fire chief Rob Francis said firefighters inside the house still were finding hot spots at 8:30 p.m.

“We’re going to be looking for a while,” Francis said.

Tonya Brandon was not sure whether the house was a total loss but was assuming all of the family’s belongings had been destroyed.

“This isn’t the way I would have planned it,” she said of having to start fresh. “God does everything for good. You know everything is for a reason.”

She said the family was holding up well at the scene but was trying not to think about everything they had just lost.

“Everything is numb; I know everything is a blur, but if I think about it, I’d probably start to hurt. ... There’s a part of you that says, ‘Help,’ but at this point, where do you begin? We will gladly take prayer.”

bkleine@semissourian.com

(573) 388-3644

Pertinent address:

257 Church St., Pocahontas, Mo.