By Ileana Morales, Times Staff Writer
Friday, October 8, 2010
The fire consumed the garage door and front of the house by the time Bradley Elkins ran inside his home to alert his wife and call 911 around 1:30 a.m. Friday.
PALM HARBOR -—A house fire early Friday morning displaced a family and killed their dog. The homeowner escaped unharmed.
An electrical problem in a truck parked in front of the house, 2832 Longleaf Lane, is suspected to have sparked the fire, which spread to the garage door and the rest of the house, according to Bay News 9.
Next-door neighbor Bradley Elkins said a neighbor across the street heard a boom and came knocking on his door. Elkins ran outside to see Duane Huisman's Ford F-150 pickup truck on fire.
The fire consumed the garage door and front of the house by the time Elkins ran inside his home to alert his wife and call 911 about 1:30 a.m.
The roof is now gone, and the insides burned away.
"Between the fire and the water everything's just lost," Elkins said.
Huisman's 18-year-old daughter was not at home at the time because she spent the night at a friend's home. Huisman was home alone with his white dog, Snowy. Elkins said Huisman's wife died about 16 years ago.
The family raised Snowy from a 6-week-old puppy. Elkins said Huisman had grown close to the 12-year-old dog as his daughter spent more time with friends and as he recuperated for four months from a motorcycle accident that left him out of work. Huisman is a postal worker.
"Out of everything in the house, what he's most upset about is losing his dog," Elkins said.
Huisman is staying with a friend.
