Fayetteville house fire kills resident

FAYETTEVILLE — One person died and three more were treated at a hospital for smoke inhalation and burns after a fire broke out at a home Friday morning.

A call about a structure fire at 2250 N. Hummingbird Lane, southwest of Township Street and Old Wire Road, came in at 5:12 a.m. Friday. Firefighters could see heavy smoke and flames upon arrival, said Fire Capt. Andrew Horton, deputy fire marshal. Several people were in the front yard saying someone was still inside, he said.

Firefighters made their way inside and found one man dead, Horton said, adding that he appeared to have succumbed to injuries suffered in the fire.

Two men and a woman were taken to Washington Regional Medical Center. One person suffered burns and all inhaled smoke, Horton said. All three got out of the house on their own, and one was able to get to a neighbor’s house to call 911, he said.

The fire was extinguished by 7 a.m. No firefighters were injured, Horton said.

All four people lived at the home. Horton said he wasn’t sure if they owned or rented the home. Choice 1 Properties, a limited liability company in Rogers, is registered as the owner, according to Washington County property records.

Three cats died in the fire and one cat is unaccounted for, Horton said. A female bearded dragon, about the size of a person’s forearm, survived. Animal control officers took the lizard, and an Animal Services staff member is taking care of it.

The call was a two-alarm fire, Horton said. The garage was destroyed and most of the house sustained smoke or fire damage, he said. The cause of the blaze is under investigation.

“We just don’t have anything to go off of yet,” Horton said. “It’s still an ongoing investigation. We have to put all the pieces together.”

Police, fire and ambulance personnel were unaware of the condition of the three injured people Friday afternoon.

Names and ages of the people involved were not released.