WYNNE, Ark. — An Arkansas family is lucky to be alive after a fire ripped through their house in the middle of the night.
According to authorities, Deputies Matt Mays and Robert Justin Boyette were patroling in the town of Vanndale around 2 a.m. Wednesday morning when they came upon a home that had caught fire.
The deputies jumped from the patrol car and alerted Dylan and Jill Greenwood who were sleeping inside.
“We were sleeping and we woke up to our dog Bear barking,” Jill Greenwood said. “And there were two deputies, one at the front door, one at the back window, yelling at us to get out of the house, the house was on fire.”
The Wynne Fire Department said by the time they arrived on the scene, flames were coming from the roof. High winds complicated the fire crew’s efforts, resulting in a total loss of the home.
Everyone was able to get out safely, but three cats and a dog are currently missing.
The cause of the fire has not been released, but officials said they are looking at an electrical problem as possibly being the cause. They said it was nothing suspicious.
Neighbor Betty Gill said it was a Christmas blessing that the two deputies spotted the fire when they did.
So did Dylan Greenwood’s grandfather, Wayne Hicks, who lives across the highway. “They might not have made it out … it’s just a blessing,” he said.
The Cross County sheriff will ask the Arkansas attorney general and the state fire marshal to award Deputies Mays and Boyette with commendations for bravery.
You can donate to the family here.
