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Bentonville Couple Survives Massive House Fire During Severe Storm

BENTONVILLE, Ark. (KFSM) — A local couple expecting their first child in just a few months lost everything in a house fire during the recent violent storms that...

BENTONVILLE, Ark. (KFSM) — A local couple expecting their first child in just a few months lost everything in a house fire during the recent violent storms that passed through the area.

What was once Sarah and Matthew Mullins' living room is now ash, soot and debris. It looks this way throughout the entire house, but the two say they are just thankful they have each other and their expected baby is as healthy as can be.

"My husband was in his office and heard he said what sounded like a firework went off on our house," Sarah said.

That sound was a lightning strike directly hitting the couple's home in Bentonville.

"We saw the orange and our first thought was get our dogs and get out," Sarah said. "Everything else can be replaced. My wedding ring can be replaced but we just need to get ourselves out."

After safely escaping the massive fire, the two jumped into their car, backed out of the driveway and watched their home burn to the ground.

"I sat there and I just cried because I knew just by looking at the flames and everything that there probably wasn't going to be a whole lot left of the house. It was awful, I don’t wish it on my worst enemy, it’s so hard to go through," Sarah said.

The fire comes less than two months before the Mullins' are expecting their first baby.

"We’re almost eight months pregnant, my daughter is due in December and we just received all of our baby shower gifts and we have no clue if anything even survived from that," Sarah said.

The couple says they are finding the strength to rebuild from the love and support from their community.

"People we don’t know have reached out and offered baby items, food, clothing, anything that they could do to help. So we’re so grateful. We’ve never lived somewhere where it’s been like this before. Truly grateful is like an understatement," Sarah said.

The Mullins' say they are thankful for their landlord who is letting them stay just down the street from their previous home while they get everything figured out.

A GoFundMe page has been created for Sarah and Matthew to help them get back on their feet.

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