Afternoon House Fire Injures Father And Two Children

The Shreveport Fire Department responded to an early afternoon house fire in the 2800 block of Drexel Street. Upon arrival fire crews found a small wood frame house with fire coming out of the entire front porch and on two sides. The residence was occupied by a man and his two children at the time. The 40-year-old father, Mr. Bobby Ray Riggs escaped the fire along with his two children and was found on a neighbor`s porch when the fire department arrived on scene. Mr. Riggs suffered smoke inhalation and burned hair on his face and head. His 1-year-old daughter suffered a small 2nd degree burn to her arm and his 2-year-old son suffered a 2nd degree burn to his forehead and nose. All three occupants were transported to the burn unit at LSU Medical Center. According to firefighters, the fire appears to have started in the living room and quickly spread to other parts of the home. Although it only took firefighters 12 minutes to bring the fire under control, the home sustained heavy damage and appeared to be a total loss. The cause of the fire is undetermined and is still under investigation.