Killeen firefighter loses home in Kempner blaze

PHOTO BY GABE WOLF Kempner firefighters battle a blaze that began in a bedroom of the home that was damaged in a Tuesday morning fire. An investigation is under way, though a fire official said the blaze is not suspicious in nature.

A Killeen firefighter and his family lost their Kempner home in a house fire Tuesday morning.

A passer-by notified officials at 10:06 a.m. about the fire at the single-story brick house at 207 Armadillo Lane off County Road 4804, Lampasas County Fire Marshal Gene Harrison said.

Lt. Dennis Reed and his family -- his wife and two children -- were not home at the time of the blaze, but several dogs, cats and other family pets died in the fire. One dog managed to escape, said Harrison.

The fire was started by a short in the electrical wiring inside a bedroom wall in the southeast corner of the house and quickly spread to another bedroom, Harrison said. Flames consumed more than half of the house.

Firefighters remained on the scene until late Tuesday afternoon, Harrison said.

Personnel from Kempner, Lampasas and Copperas Cove responded to the blaze.