Bluffton family escapes house fire
A Bluffton woman and her children are being assisted by the American Red Cross after a Monday night fire damaged their home.
Firefighters were called to the Hattie’s Place residence around 7:30 p.m. after the 39-year-old mother smelled smoke and went to her kitchen to investigate, according to the American Red Cross news release.
She said she saw the top of the stove was on fire, called 9-1-1 and fled the house with her children.
The home suffered extensive damage, and firefighters had to cut off utilities, the release said.
The Red Cross is providing financial assistance to the six-member family for food and shelter.
The Red Cross had been in that neighborhood with the Bluffton Township Fire District to install 285 free smoke alarms only a day and a half before the fire.
The woman said she was not home at the time firefighters were in the neighborhood.
Caitlin Turner: 843-706-8184, @Cait_E_Turner
This story was originally published March 15, 2016 at 2:02 PM with the headline "Bluffton family escapes house fire."