Former volunteer fireman homeless after early morning blaze
HENDERSON COUNTY, Tenn. — A former volunteer fireman and his four service dogs are left homeless after an early morning fire in Henderson County. Roger Riley says he and his four dogs were home during the fire. Riley says a spilled oil lamp is what caused the fire, which began in the bathroom. “There was an oil lantern that was on the counter top, and I slipped on the floor and just happened to catch it and throwed it into the wall, and it broke,” Riley said. Riley says he tried to put the fire out with an extinguisher from his kitchen. When the Henderson County Fire Department arrived the house was fully engulfed, Chaplin Chris Young said. “Unfortunately, his fire extinguisher that he had in the house was not working,” Young said. Two of Riley’s four dogs followed him inside the house. Riley, who says he’s legally deaf and going blind, says the flames were not the scariest part of watching his home burn. “My animals are my life,” he said. “They mean everything to me.” Pinky, the dog he calls his heart monitor, had gotten scared and hid under the bed inside. “I was scared to death I wasn’t going to be able to find her,” he said. But Pinky eventually ran outside. Officials say the home is a total loss. The Red Cross is helping Riley with basic necessities. Fire officials say fire extinguishers should be checked monthly.
