The Herald-News - News Story

    A house on Sky Drive in the Frazier Community of Dayton went up in flames Wednesday and eventually collapsed, leaving a family of six homeless.
    At about 1:31 p.m. Wednesday, Rhea County Fire Districts 750, 745 and 760 were dispatched to a reported structure fire at 203 Sky Drive. When firefighters arrived at the scene, the house was fully engulfed in flames, according to reports.
    According to fire investigator Chuck Kinney, the fire appeared to have been burning a while before it was reported.
    Fortunately, homeowners Tom and Donna Alnutt and their four children, ages 6 months to 8 years, were not at home when the fire started. Tom Alnutt was at work in Chattanooga and his wife, Donna, had left the house at about 9 a.m. that day, Kinney said.     The oldest child was at school and the other three were with their mother, he added.
    First responders reported that the fire was extensive in the garage basement of the estimated 3,000 square-foot, three-level home. Kinney said the owner reported that a couple jugs of gasoline were stored in the garage.
    Gasoline acts as an accelerant, he said. "A normal house fire burns at about 500 degrees Fahrenheit, an accelerant takes it to over 2,000 degrees," he said.
    According to Kinney, firefighters attempted to make entry into the home's first story - in order to gain more direct access to the fire - but they were unable to do so because the fire had already destroyed the floor structure.
    As the fire progressed, the fire department backed away from the house due to the instability of the structure. Shortly thereafter, the entire building collapsed into the basement, nearly falling on the firefighters in the front lawn, Kinney said.
    In order to extinguish the fire, the fire department used a backhoe to reveal hot spots trapped by the fallen debris. The collapse barred any safe entry into the building and prevented Kinney from determining the cause of the fire.
    According to Kinney, Tom Alnutt built the home but had a contractor install the wiring.     Alnutt told Kinney that one of the light switches did not work and another switch would make a popping sound when it was flipped on. Last week, when Alnutt turned the switch on, it made a "very loud pop," Kinney stated.
    Kinney reported that the family had only the clothes that were on their backs. The American Red Cross was contacted for support, and Grace Bible Church in Dayton is currently assisting the family. The home was insured.
    "Although a complete cause and origin investigation could not be completed, there doesn't appear to be any evidence of foul play," reported Kinney. "However, this fire must be ruled undetermined since the heat source could not be determined."
    Kinney urged Rhea County residents to install smoke detectors in their homes and to routinely check their detectors to ensure that they are operating.
    Michelle Friesen can be reached at michelle.friesen@rheaheraldnews.com.
    Sara Withrow contributed to this report.