Omaha Fire investigators this morning continue to look for the cause of a blaze that destroyed a Millard-area home Wednesday afternoon, and took the lives of two dogs inside. Smoke and flames engulfed the home near 152nd and U Streets after neighbors reported hearing several small explosions.
Battalion Chief Sean Dean says by the time he arrived, the home was engulfed in flames, and they immediately began attacking the fire defensively.
Investigators say five people lived in the home, but they were not in the house at the time of the blaze. Amy Hymes and her daughter Allyssa live next door. Both heard what sounded like explosions before seeing thick, black smoke billowing into the air.
"Sounded like fireworks, just pop, pop, pop, pop, pop," Amy Hymes says. "Then I saw a shadow go over our backyard. Then I opened the back door and saw the entire back side of their house up in flames," Allyssa Hynes says.
Dean says due to the intensity of the flames they were concerned about preventing damage to the houses on both sides of the one that burned. Neither house was damaged.