GENTRY — A fire destroyed the home of Mike and Grace Parish, at 944 E. First St., early Sunday morning, according to Gentry Fire Chief Vester Cripps.

Mike was the only one home at the time and woke up to smoke in the house and escaped through a bedroom window. Seeing fire coming from the roof, he called 911.

Grace and the couple’s children were away visiting family out of town when the fire broke out.

According to Cripps, thecall came in at 3:50 a.m. It took an hour to get the fire under control and 2 1/2 hours to extinguish the blaze.

A clothes dryer was found to be the source of the fire, he said.

“The house was a total loss,” Cripps said. “They lost everything.”

The Parish family did have insurance, Cripps said, but donations are being accepted at the fire station to assist the family.

Mike is a volunteer fire fighter for the Gentry Fire Department and also serves on the city’s Parks Commission.

News, Pages 7 on 10/10/2012