UPDATE: Fire damages Nicholson residence

Murphy said one of the responding firemen told her that the blaze started "higher than eye level" to an adult. Later, the boy told her that when he turned on the closet light he heard a sound and then a shirt was on fire.

She threw a bucket of mop water on the blaze, but when that was insufficient and she realized the futility of trying to put out the blaze herself, she called 911, gathered up a few items and exited the residence, taking the family dog as well. No one was injured.

Murphy said the family is living in a borrowed camper at the site, awaiting an insurance adjuster. The American Red Cross responded to the scene, offered the family a two-night stay in a local hotel and gave the family a card good for food and incidentals. While the structure is covered by insurance, some of the loss cannot be replaced.

Every picture we had was laid out in the guest bedroom," she said. "I was going to go through them and organize them. There was no time to get them in a box and get them out. That, more than anything else (is a loss)."