A Hammond family made it out safely from a fire that destroyed their home in under a half-hour Tuesday night.
Hammond firefighters arrived at the house in the 7200 block of Rhode Island in the city’s Hessville section around 10:30 p.m. to find it engulfed, but the family outside and accounted for, Hammond Battalion Chief Ken Crandal said at the scene. Once there, firefighters were able to get the blaze under control quickly.
Hammond Fire Inspector Jason Rogers spoke with the family and said the fire was first detected in the southeast bedroom in the front of the house. The two children sleeping in that room woke up and told an older brother the house was on fire.
The older brother then woke his grandfather, who first attempted to put out the fire with an extinguisher, Rogers said. When that didn’t work, the man called 911.
Once outside, the grandfather tried to once again extinguish the fire with an outside garden hose, Rogers said.
The fire’s cause is unclear and under investigation, Rogers said.
Michelle L. Quinn is a freelance reporter with the Post-Tribune.