Fire consumes Brooksville family's home

A Brooksville family's home was engulfed by flames Saturday afternoon, with smoke curling up into the sky that could be seen from miles away.

Melissa Hale said everything was normal at her home at 12:50 p.m. after making lunch for her children. When she left for work, all the electricity and appliances were off as far as she knew.

After a phone call from a friend, Hale said she rushed home to find Brooksville firefighters extinguishing the blaze at 109 Dogwood Drive, near Hernando High School.

She and her husband had moved into the four-bedroom, 42-year-old home in April 2011.

Husband John Hale looked on with neighbors as the fire burned a huge hole directly over what was once the couple's bedroom.

"Everything's gone," said Hale, as he alternated talking to firefighting crews and his wife, who was in tears.

Fortunately, nobody was inside the home at the time of the fire.

Hale said two of his children had been playing at a neighbor's home and came home to get their bicycles from the garage when they noticed smoke. They called 911 and alerted their father, who rushed home.

Neighbor Elaine Turner, whose house is almost directly across from the scene, said she was just returning from downtown and saw the Hale family standing in her driveway. Then she saw the smoke and knew what had happened.

"It's so sad," Turner said. "I'm just glad they're all, all right."