Fire destroys Benton County home, cause deemed accidental

OXFORD, Ind. (WLFI) - A fire in Benton County broke out early Friday morning in Oxford. A house and garage were destroyed, but thankfully, there were no reports of any injuries.

The fire broke out around 12:45 a.m. Friday in the 400 block of East Benton Street. Almost one hour later, you could still see flames from the fire shooting into the sky. The fire quickly spread, engulfing the house and garage.

Neighbors stood outside listening to the crackling sound of the fire and watching the firefighters spray water onto the residence.

Firefighters told NewsChannel 18 five people were living in the home. A woman inside woke up to the smoke and fire in a back bedroom. She quickly woke up her parents and grabbed her two children. All five made it out safely.

Meanwhile, firefighters continued to work to control the fire. Firefighters from Oxford, Fowler and Boswell all responded to the scene.

"We ended up venting the front of the house, pushing the fire back upon itself, knocking it out," said Landon McDaniel with the Oxford Volunteer Fire Department.

"They are awesome, I couldn't do their job," commented eyewitness Breanna Berenda.

A pickup truck and aerosol cans only helped fuel the fire. The fire forced a main part of town to be shut down to traffic. Firefighters fought the second floor fire from the roof of the porch, using a chainsaw at times. The heat only created more problems but firefighters were able to eventually get the upper hand.

The cause of the fire was deemed accidental. The State Fire Marshal's Office said there was an extension cord in the back of the house that was frayed.