Cigarette Ashes Blamed for Devastating Fire

Family loses cat in fire that destroys home

A fire destroyed a Dallas family's home Thursday morning, forcing them out into the frigid winter cold.

The fire inside the home on the 11400 block of Gatewood Drive was first reported at about 1:40 a.m. after homeowner Sue Sobieck said she and her husband Don woke up to the smell of smoke. Sobieck said she then saw flames shooting from their adult son's bedroom on the back side of the house.

Don Sobieck told NBC 5 that he believed his son had been smoking and accidentally started the fire. Dallas Fire investigators later confirmed the fire was not intentionally set and that clothing and an air filter caught on fire from cigarette ashes.

Though the family managed to escape the fire without injury, most of their belongings were destroyed. The family, which had lived in the home for 15 years, also lost their 16-year-old cat in the fire.

With all that is lost, the family is trying to focus on the positives.

"We're in great hands. We've got a good insurance company. The cat's dead. My son's cared for. So everything's going to work out in the end," said Don Sobieck.

As firefighters battled the flames, the family kept warm inside of an ambulance. The Red Cross is providing the family with clothing, food and a place to stay while they begin to rebuild their lives.

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