A Crawford County family was forced out of their home early Saturday morning (Dec. 7) after it caught fire.
The house, which was located on East Northbrook Circle north of Van Buren, went up in flames just after 4:30 a.m., according to dispatchers with the Crawford County Sheriff's Office.
Neighbors told 5NEWS they heard a loud explosion then saw flames shooting out the roof.
Crawford County Fire Chief Dale Ingle said crews determined that the fire had started in the chimney. According to Ingle, the family was trying to keep warm by the fire when the blaze started.
The family was able to make it out of the burning home safely without any injuries, according to authorities.
The area where the home caught fire has been without power since the winter storm hit Thursday night, according to neighbors.
Donations for the family may be dropped off at Victory Temple Pentecostal Church of God in Van Buren.
More than 24,000 people across the River Valley are without power as of Saturday morning. For more on current outages, click here.