Fire damages Center St. home

A fire that started in the garage of a home at 325 Center St. late Thursday morning spread to the roof, causing extensive damage.

The home, which sits just south of the Central Baptist College campus, belongs to Bonnie Rhoades, who shares it with her boyfriend, two daughters and three grandchildren. Rhoades said the family will arrange to stay with relatives.

Carrie Strode  

Conway Firefighters work to extinguish a fire on Center St. in Conway on Thursday morning. It is believed that the fire was started by an electrical short in the garage. CARRIE STRODE PHOTO

One of her daughters, 18-year-old Katelyn Rhoades, was alone in the home at about 10:45 a.m. when the fire started. Katelyn said she heard a popping sound in the garage. When she went to see what was making the noise, she saw that the garage was filled with smoke.

She immediately went outside and called 9-1-1.

"She was using her head and did the proper thing," Conway Fire Chief Bart Castleberry said at the scene as firefighters brought the last of the flames under control.

Conway Fire Marshal Randy Freeman said that a preliminary investigation into the fire indicates that the cause was electrical.

"It was definitely caused by an electrical short," Freeman said. "I can't tell you exactly what caused it, but due to an electrical malfunction there was an arcing of the wires."

Freeman added that the fire will be ruled accidental and that the electrical malfunction could have been related to remodeling work being done in the garage.

(Staff writer Joe Lamb can be reached by e-mail at joe.lamb@thecabin.net or by phone at 505-1238. Send us your news at www.thecabin.net/submit)