WKYT - Home - Headlines

Laurel County family needs help after house fire

Updated: Fri 11:45 PM, Feb 15, 2013

LAUREL COUNTY, Ky. (WKYT) - A southern Kentucky family is asking for help after a fire destroyed much of what they owned.

The fire broke out late Friday evening along Highway 552 in Laurel County not far from London.

It caused so much damage that the family won't be able to stay in the home for now.

Firefighters at the Keavy Volunteer Fire Department say the call came out as a chimney fire but quickly spread to other rooms in the home.

"It had heavy smoke coming out, it was also puffing out of the windows," said Fire Chief Ronnie Bales, of the Keavy Volunteer Fire Department in Laurel County.

We are told a wood-burning stove connected to the family's chimney is what seems to have caused the fire, beginning in the basement.

"It caught around where the pipe went into the chimney at and burned and then it worked itself up into the two bedrooms," said Chief Bales.

The Bishop family tells us they've lived in this home for 19 years. Ray and Brenda Bishop say their 21-year-old son Brandon was home alone when the fire started.

"They had to break some windows out to smoke to work it's way out so they could continue to work on it," said Chief Bales.

The master and guest bedrooms were fully engulfed once crews arrived, leaving the family without much clothing.

"It's unfortunate that they lost it, but they could have lost a whole lot more," said Chief Bales. "That house is repairable, but there's a lot of smoke damage in it. And there's a lot of their appliances still in there that are not hurt."

Ray Bishop says he's a carpenter by trade and that starting tomorrow he will begin the process of rebuilding his burned home.

If you would like to help this family by donating clothing, their sizes are listed below. The Bishop family lives at 1375 W. Pine Hill Road off Highway 552, just outside London.

Brenda Bishop wears XL tops, a size 16 in pants, and size 9-10 in shoes. Ray Bishop wears XL shirts, 38x30 in pants, and size 10 in shoes. Brandon Bishop wears large and XL shirts, 30x32 in pants, and size 10-11 in shoes.


Comments are posted from viewers like you and do not always reflect the views of this station.
powered by Disqus

Current Conditions

Weather for Lexington, Kentucky
48° F
Clear
Sun
61 51
Mon
78 54
Tue
83 61
Wed
85 64

Opinion

Do you feel safe travelling on Kentucky's bridges?

Yes
No
Never really thought about it.

Most Commented

powered by Disqus

Enter your number for a chance to win great prizes!
Message and data rates may apply
Refuse to Lose

Viewer Photos

Text Links

Premium reloading brass once fired

WKYT

2851 Winchester Rd. Lexington, Ky 40509 859-299-0411 - switchboard 859-299-2727 - newsroom
Gray Television, Inc. - Copyright © 2002-2013 - Designed by Gray Digital Media - Powered by Clickability
User Agent: CCBot/2.0 - 191499241