House fire on Hunter Street

Frank Lambert stands with neighbor Jennifer Brown, who hadn’t yet changed out of her Halloween costume, at about 9:30 Saturday night as firefighters struggled to contain a fire that started just before 9 p.m. at the Lambert family home on 1170 Hunter St. just north of Hendrix College. Everyone was able to make it out of the home unhurt, Lambert said, but he was worried about his granddaughter’s dog, which was last seen in an upstairs room. Lambert said the fire, which apparently started in the attic, had been preceded earlier in the evening by electricity failing in an older part of the home. The home’s sturdy construction slowed firefighters’ efforts to cut vent holes in the roof, Conway Fire Chief Bart Castleberry said, but the fire had been “knocked down” at about 10:25 p.m. Lambert said the family was committed to repairing the damage to their 76-year-old home. JOE LAMB PHOTO