North Jonesboro house fire started in kitchen

JONESBORO, Ark. (KAIT) - Following a house fire on Friday afternoon, the fire department is now offering a glimpse into what happened.

Jonesboro and Craighead County E911 Dispatch confirmed that a fire broke out in the kitchen of a home in the 1300-block of Magnolia Road around 1 p.m. on Dec. 2.

According to Jonesboro Fire Chief Marty Hamrick, the cause of the fire cannot be determined due to the extent of the damage. He said the fire did start in the kitchen, but investigators could not pinpoint a specific ignition point; they can only assume that something had been left cooking on the stove.

Hamrick also shared that one person was asleep in the home at the time of the fire with the bedroom door shut. He said a second person, who lives there, came home to find the fire and was able to kick the door in to get the first person out safely.

“I do want to add how important it is to keep your bedroom doors shut while you are sleeping,” Hamrick added. “The closed door in this case probably saved the person’s life. It really affects how fire and smoke travel. While it may not completely cover you for the duration of the fire, it will absolutely buy you enough time to find an alternate exit.”

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