No injuries in Cullman house fire

A house fire on Cullman’s east side early Tuesday heavily damaged a residence but caused no injuries to its occupants, nor to fire fighters responding at the scene.

Cullman Fire Chief Brian Bradberry said all three city fire stations responded to the call, which came in to the department around 8 a.m. Tuesday. The residence, a single-family dwelling located along Avenue D in east Cullman, was heavily damaged in the fire.

Homeowners Tommy and Connie Bailey stood outside the charred structure Tuesday morning, saddened at the loss of their home of more than 30 years but grateful that they’re insured, and that no one — including their grandson, who was home at the time — was hurt.

“The Red Cross has already reached out to us, and we’ve got a place to stay,” said Connie. “And we have insurance. We truly appreciate everyone who has already reached out, and this is definitely some tough times for us. We almost had [the house] paid off — only 32 more payments to go. But we’ve been through tough times before. We’ll be okay.”

It took approximately one hour for fire fighters to get the conflagration under control, said Bradberry. Responders remained at the scene through the morning Tuesday dousing potential hot spots.

“It was certainly a significant house fire in terms of how well-involved it was when we arrived,” said Bradberry. “We’re grateful that there were no injuries, but we hate it for the family, and we’re keeping them in our prayers.”

Bradberry said the cause of the fire is not yet known. Cullman Fire Marshal Chris Chaffin will lead an investigation.