WARSAW — Kirk Beckham, his wife Celise, and daughters Mia, Remi and Adree, and the family puppy, are safe. But, they lost everything they owned.

The Beckham home at 863 Barrington Place, Warsaw, was destroyed by fire early this morning, Tuesday, Oct. 13. Leesburg Fire Department received the call at 2:50 a.m.

Events began when Heidi Miller, a neighbor to the east of the Beckhams, awoke to take her dog for her nightly walk. When Miller came out of her home, she smelled smoke and looked to the west at the back deck of the Beckham residence and saw the fire.

Warsaw/Wayne Fire Chief Mike Wilson stated Miller started calling the cell phones of the Beckham family, waking them up. The Beckhams looked outside their bedroom window and could see the fire on the deck.

“All the family got out of the house before the fire went from the deck, up the back wall and through the sliding glass door and into the livingroom/kitchen area,” said Wilson.

The first fire officer on the scene, Leesburg Assistant Fire Chief Jared Haughee, made his 360 degree walk around the structure waiting for the fire engines to arrive. “The fire was already up and inside the roof line and the main ceiling are of the living room, kitchen and dining area,” said Wilson. Haughee requested mutual aid from Warsaw/Wayne Township and Winona Lake, with tanker assists from Milford, North Webster and Pierceton. The time was 2:53 a.m.

Warsaw/Wayne Fire Department’s ladder truck was used for upper roof operations and master streams. “All the fire was contained to the main living area and the vaulted ceiling area above the garage.”

Wilson stated the fire originated on the south side of the residence on the wood deck, but the cause is undetermined at this time.

Smoke detectors were in the home and working. Wilson stated because the fire was on the deck, burning up the outside, it was the phone calls that woke the family, prior to smoke detectors going off.

The fire was brought under control at 4 a.m. with water being shuttled in from fire hydrants including the hydrant at Teachers Credit Union at CR 350N and SR 15.

The damage has been estimated close to $425,000.

Pierceton and Claypool fire departments were on standby for Warsaw/Wayne and Winona Lake Departments.