Fires Destroys Home, Threatens Others in Arlington Neighborhood

A home in South Arlington was destroyed by fire Wednesday morning, though firefighters were able to spare nearby homes threatened by the blaze.

At about 10 a.m., firefighters arrived at the home on the 6100-block of Kelly Elliott Drive and found it fully engulfed in flames and threatening to spread.  Firefighters took an aggressive approach to battling the fire, though were unable to fight the fire from within the home due to how large the fire had grown.

Due to the proximity of other homes, firefighters escalated the fire to 3-alarms and began battling the fire from both the front and back while using a water cannon on a ladder to hit the fire from above.

After about 30 minutes, firefighters had the blaze under control.

For a short time, what appeared to be smoke could be seen escaping from beneath the roof of an adjacent home while firefighters doused the home with water -- though both houses on either side of the destroyed home appear to be undamaged.

While the cause of the fire has not yet been determined, the homeowner said he had left the fireplace running all night and woke up to the smell of smoke.  He was able to escape, with his dog, without serious injury.  He was the only person in the home at the time.

No injuries have been reported, but one person was seen being placed on a stretcher and given oxygen. 

Officials said the fire started in the chimney. As a safety precaution, officials advise all North Texans to have their chimneys inspected annually.

NBC 5's Mola Lenghi contributed to this report.

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