Family loses home, 4 pets in Gibson Co. house fire

GIBSON COUNTY, Tenn. — Smoke filled the sky as the Gibson County Fire Department responded to a house fire Tuesday afternoon on Highway 186 between Medina and Gibson.

“When we got here, the garage was already fully involved and beginning to fall in,” Gibson County Fire Chief Bryan Cathey said. “It had already spread to a storage building that had some dogs in it and also to the house.”

Cathey said there were no injuries as the family was not at home when it happened, but at least four of their pets were died in the fire.

“A passerby called 911, saw flames coming out of the roof of the house and the garage. We were not able to get all the pets out of the house,” Chief Cathey said.

The blaze shut down part of Highway 186 briefly while crews worked to put out the fire.

“The north wind, once the fire got in the attic, it blew it all through the attic of the house. It’s going to be a total loss,” Cathey said.

Cathey said the cold weather made it difficult for firefighters. The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Crews from Humboldt, Madison County and Milan assisted. McDonald’s of Medina also provided coffee and food for all fire and rescue personnel on scene.