KSLA News 12 Shreveport, Louisiana |Shreveport man survives devastating house fire

Shreveport man survives devastating house fire

By Liz Elan – bio | email

SHREVEPORT, LA (KSLA) - A Shreveport man is lucky to be alive after fire tore through his Youree Dr. home early Monday morning. This tragedy could have been prevented. Why it wasn't will probably make you think twice about the well being of your neighbor.

  Imagine being woken up in the middle of the night only to be told you could never return to the only home you've ever known. "It's a lot of history." 77-year- old Arthur Alexander has lived at 1319 Youree Dr. since 1948. A lifetime of memories he watched go up in smoke before dawn. He has no gas or utilities in is home and neighbors say he hasn't been able to afford it for years. If that's so, how could Alexander have lived like this for so many years unnoticed and no one lending a hand?

 "I've got mixed emotions, but I am a pretty strong guy," said Alexander.

 He woke up before 4am to go to the bathroom. "Seems like I heard a sound of fire or popping or something."

 He says he ran next door to get the neighbors to call 911.

 Battalion Chief Kerry Foster with the Shreveport Fire Department said "by the time I arrived which was a few minutes later, there was fire coming out of the right side of the house and the rear of the house."

   With no electricity, Alexander may have been using candles to light and heat his home, but no one knows for sure if that's how this blaze started.

 Members of The First Baptist Church in Shreveport came by with supplies.

After dawn, even more people came by to show their support.

 Alexander may not be alone, just one of many who live in Shreveport, too poor to afford electricity, maybe too ashamed to ask for help. Alexander still has his pride. A Korean War veteran, Alexander fought for this country. Now, he's not sure who's going to help him get through yet another setback in his already troubled life.