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Family of 7 displaced, 2 dogs rescued after malfunctioning outlet sparks Baton Rouge house fire
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BATON ROUGE — A Baton Rouge family of seven is picking up the pieces after a fire tore through their home Tuesday afternoon, though they are grateful the outcome wasn't worse after firefighters rescued their two dogs from inside.
Lynwood Spell, a teacher at Liberty Magnet, said he had taken his children to school and was getting ready to head to work when he received an unexpected phone call from a neighbor saying his home on Bellfort Drive was burning.
"I came home immediately, and when I got here, just was devastated to see how bad our home and the fire and what had taken place," Spell said.
According to the Baton Rouge Fire Department, crews were dispatched shortly after 1:10 p.m. Tuesday to 1655 Bellfort Drive. Firefighters arrived around 1:18 p.m. to find heavy smoke pouring from the roof of the single-story house.
Inside, crews encountered heavy flames burning in the front room and spreading toward the kitchen. Firefighters contained the fire to those areas and brought it under control by 1:33 p.m., though the rest of the house sustained heavy smoke and water damage.
No one was home when the fire started, and no injuries were reported. However, Spell said one of his biggest concerns upon arriving was the family's two dogs, Rocco and Roxy, who were still inside.
"My immediate fear was Rocco and Roxy," Spell said. "Even though they're in the house, they're near the house and close enough where this intense fire could easily have trapped them or caused them to experience harm."
Firefighters located both dogs and rescued them unharmed.
Investigators determined a malfunctioning electrical outlet in the living room caused the fire—a finding Spell called especially unsettling because one of his daughters had been sleeping in that room.
"This thing could have taken place while we were asleep that night," Spell said. "And my daughter was sleeping in the room that the fire originated in."
Spell said he also faced the difficult task of breaking the news to his wife when he picked her up from the airport as she returned from a trip.
"Of course, our house caught on fire today. Welcome home," he said.
The Baton Rouge Fire Department contacted the American Red Cross to provide emergency assistance for the family, which includes two adults and five children. Despite the damage and uncertainty ahead, Spell said he is thankful everyone is safe.
"We're just truly grateful that it took place while we weren't here," Spell said.
The family has a GoFundMe page live for anyone who would like to support them through this difficult time.
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