LAHARPE A fire destroyed the home of Mike Scott and his two teen-aged sons early Sunday afternoon.
Scott was not home, but his sons were. The boys were frying hamburger on a propane-fueled stove when they reported flames gushing from the stovetop.
The fire quickly grew in intensity as the boys fled the home and sought refuge with a neighbor.
The kitchen was fully engulfed when LaHarpe volunteer firefighters arrived at the scene.
The volunteers knocked down the flames in the room, but the burning embers had already reached the homes roof.
Soon, a raging fireball visible from blocks away roared as firefighters focused their efforts on preventing the blaze from spreading to a nearby garage. They were successful in keeping other structures out of harms way, but the house was a total loss.
A thick plume of smoke enveloped neighboring homes.
The home was a rental, noted Allen County Sheriffs Deputy Daren Kellerman, and belonged to Matt Kerr.
Several loud bangs were heard coming from the structure when the fire was at its most intense.
A subsequent inspection of the charred remains uncovered four small barbecue-style propane bottles, a 100-pound propane tank and a kerosene space heater, Kellerman said.
