A fire broke out early Christmas Eve at a rural Dallas County home southwest of Perry.

At around 5:30 a.m. Sunday, emergency crews were called to the 16000 block of G Avenue. The property is owned by Jon and Tiffany Hollingsworth. According to a press release from the Perry Fire Department, Tiffany was woken up by the smell of smoke, and Jon investigated. The smell appeared to be coming from the attached garage, and when he opened the door a blast of fire blew through the doorway into the kitchen. The fire spread quickly through the kitchen, and the family was able to quickly evacuate the house without sustaining injuries.

The Perry and Dawson Fire Departments responded, but by the time they arrived the garage was already destroyed and the house was engulfed in flames. Firefighters were able to control the fire enough to rescue several personal items from the house, as well as all of the family’s animals. The cause of the fire is unknown, and officials believe they may never know for sure how it started because of the complete destruction of the garage. However, the initial investigation indicated it was likely caused by an electric dog pad. The Dallas County Sheriff’s Office and Emergency Medical Services assisted at the scene.