MESA, Ariz. — What began as a typical weekday night relaxing on the couch for a family in Mesa, ended when firefighters hosed down flames in their home.
"I was hanging out with my best friend on the couch. Her and her son were over hanging out with us," Alexis Allen said.
Around 7:45 p.m. on Wednesday night, Allen said her dog started barking. Her son went to check on the dog when he started screaming, "Fire!"
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The family quickly evacuated after grabbing some personal belongings. Minutes later, thick smoke and flames engulfed the house. Mesa firefighters quickly arrived to hose down the flames.
"It's a total loss. Everything in the house, there's not really anything in the house that's salvageable," Caleb Allen said.
The fire scorched the back porch and destroyed the kitchen and living room.
"It's a family home and everybody is just devastated," Allen said.
While investigators are working to determine an official cause of the fire, Caleb Allen believes it started from a rechargeable battery.
"Battery caught fire in the backyard in a rechargeable toy. It was not plugged in. It was just a rechargeable lithium-ion battery in like a walkie-talkie or a RC car that we had no clue was left in the backyard," Allen said. "It's crazy that a little battery like that can change your life dramatically for a year or more to come. And not knowing how dangerous those things can be."
Despite the loss, Allen is grateful his family is safe.
"We can always rebuild we can always get more things back. We landed safely with our in-laws who have graciously taken us in. Things are things but family and loved ones are more important than that," Allen said.
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