Prosecuting attorney, wife flee fire at home

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- Butler County Prosecuting Attorney Kevin Barbour and his wife, Tonya, narrowly escaped from their burning home early Saturday.

"When we got there, the house was totally engulfed in flames. It was destroyed," Butler County Fire Chief Bob Fredwell said.

County firefighters responded at 5:39 a.m. to 613 County Road 428 northwest of Poplar Bluff.

Fredwell said the Barbours were sitting in their truck when he arrived.

"I made sure they were all right and told them to go to the hospital to be checked for smoke inhalation," Fredwell said.

Rose Anne Huck, who lives 1 1/2 miles from her brother, said she saw "a plume of smoke and large ball of fire above the trees."

When Huck arrived at the scene, the firetrucks and a state trooper already were there, and the Barbours had left.

"Only the chimney and a stone wall on the front of the house were left standing," Huck said.

She later learned Kevin and Tonya were awakened by their dogs and found their one-story home full of smoke.

"They grabbed both dogs and escaped out the sliding glass door in their bedroom," Huck said. "All they have is the clothes they are wearing."

The Barbours were thankful to be alive while they sat in their truck, watching their home burn to the ground.

"They lost all their possessions, including family antiques and a gun collections," Huck reported.