BROKEN ARROW, Okla. — Just a few short weeks before Christmas, a Broken Arrow family lost everything in a house fire. The homeowner says her dog saved her from the flames but now they’re trying to provide Christmas for their kids.
While the outside of the Jacobs’ home looks untouched, the property near 241st and Kenosha is a totally different story inside.
The living room is charred; insulation covers every piece of furniture.
Dolls, games, family photos on the fridge are ll a reminder of what happened Dec. 5, after Whitney Jacobs finished a 12-hour shift at work.
“My dog came barreling into my room trying to hide under my bed,” said Whitney Jacobs. “He wouldn’t move so I tried to figure out what was going on so I came out into the living room and there was fire coming out from underneath my couch.”
That fire spread rapidly. By the time Jacobs grabbed her phone from the bedroom, the living room was engulfed.
“I tried to frantically put the fire out, but it got out of hand,” said Jacobs.
Battalion Chief Rusty Stringer says nearly 25 firefighters responded to the call.
“When crews arrived on scene they had heavy black smoke actually in the eves,” said Battalion Chief Rusty Stringer. “When they made entry, they had black smoke.”
The Battalion Chief says their response was less than a minute. The closest fire station sits right at their edge of the Jacobs’ neighborhood and firefighters were able to respond quickly.
Jacobs was already outside of the home when firefighters arrived. She credits her puppy for alerting her.
“No fire extinguisher,” said Jacobs. “No smoke alarm. So, if my dog didn’t come in the room I probably wouldn’t have made it out. I’ve been here literally my whole life. It’s hard. It’s devastating.”
Now Whitney and her husband, Derek, are trying to replace everything that was lost; clothes, toiletries, the Christmas tree put up just the night before, and all the Christmas gifts they’d already bought their 3 kids.
“We lost all, anything that we had available for the kids are all going to have to be replaced,” said Jacobs.
While it’s been a blow to the family,
They say they’ve felt a lot of community support during this difficult time.
“You really see people’s true colors when stuff like this happens,” said Derek Jacobs. “We’ve got the support from the people we’d hope to get the support from.”
The Jacobs did lose their dog and cat in the fire. Their pet snake did survive.
If you’d like to help the family, click here.
Stay in touch with us anytime, anywhere --
- 2 News Oklahoma on your schedule | Download on your TV, watch for free. How to watch on your streaming device
- Download our free app for Apple, Android and Kindle devices.
- Like us on Facebook
- Follow us on Instagram
- Watch LIVE 24/7 on YouTube
