HIXSON, Tenn. (WDEF) — A Fourth of July celebration in Hixson took a frightening turn late Friday night when flames erupted at a home on Friendship Lane, sending emergency crews rushing to the scene.
While the family inside made it out safely, neighbors say it could have been much worse.
“I turned the water on, I was like, ‘Pull, pull, pull,’” said Curtis Henderson Jr., a neighbor who sprang into action.
“It did reach all the way over there. And my brother-in-law went to the front, grabbed the hose, and we started trying to fight it.”
Just before midnight, the garage of the home went up in flames—transforming a festive evening into a chaotic and dangerous one.
“We were all watching the fireworks show down the road,” Henderson said. “When we started mingling back up this way, I suddenly heard Caden come running out the door, screaming, ‘Where’s Al? Where’s Al?’ Somebody called 911.”
Officials say the homeowner suffered burns to his hands after opening the garage door and discovering the fire. The family was asleep at the time the fire started.
“The smoke got them—woke them up,” Henderson recalled.
“The alarms didn’t go off for some reason, but they did when I was cooking breakfast the next morning. The main thing is—they all got out. All three of them, and the dog. Thank the Lord for that.”
According to the Dallas Bay Volunteer Fire Department, damage is estimated at $300,000. The cause of the fire remains under investigation by the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office.
Officials say any new developments will be shared as they become available.
