A few walls are all that is left as a fast moving fire ravages home owned by Larry and Leesa Hooper of Joppa.          Arab Today Photo by Dwight Hayes

February 3, 2009 - Dwight Hayes
A head start by the fire, high winds, and cold temperatures hampered firefighters Tuesday afternoon as they responded to a home engulfed in flames at 16359 Hwy 69 in Joppa.  Homeowners, Larry and Leesa Hooper were home when the fire broke out.  Neither was injured in the blaze.

Larry Hooper, who is recuperating from recent open heart surgery, said he was asleep in a recliner in the basement when he was awakened by his wife.  She had been studying in an upstairs room when smoke detectors sounded the first alarm.  When she went to investigate, she was met with flames and heavy smoke.  Larry Hooper said that Leesa ran to the basement to wake him and together they tried to go back to the upstairs area but were turned back by the fire.  They managed to remove a few boxes of belongings from the basement before having to abandon any salvage efforts.

A Joppa Fire Department truck was being fueled at a store just across the street when the fire was discovered.  The Hooper's were helped from the blazing home by one of the Joppa firefighters.  Firefighters from Joppa, Baileyton, and Arab Fire Departments responded to the fire.  The home was totally destroyed and a car parked near the home was heavily damaged.  There were no pets in the home.