EAST END, Ark. (KTHV) -- Wildfires continue to blaze around the Natural State, thanks to the drought.
East End, in Saline County, is one community where the fires have finally been contained.
Lt. James Henderson is an eight-year veteran of the fire department.
"[The fires] probably started as something as simple as a cigarette flicked out the window...a fire we had put out the day before rekindled," Lt. Henderson said.
He returned home late Thursday night, after battling two fires in one day.
But just before 3:30 a-m Friday...tragedy.
Henderson's house was burning down.
"The smoke detector woke my wife up, then she woke me up," Henderson explained. It was mostly smoke when we woke up but I could see the kitchen cabinet was on fire."
They woke their two children and got out of the house safely.
"We didn't have our phones. We had to go to the neighbor's house and get them to call 911 for us," Henderson said.
Their home, full of memories, is a total loss.
Fire Chief Rusty Long says Henderson's family gives the department a rare glimpse.
"Typically we see the front-side of a fire when somebody loses their possessions, but dealing with this ourselves, the after fire, is something we don't deal with a whole lot," said Chief Long.
The community of East End has come together in support of Lt. Henderson and his family. But even more, is the support he gets from his fellow firemen.
"The fire service has a big brotherhood. Our former Chief Winfrey actually lost his house about a year ago. So this is the second firefighter that we've had at East End to lose his house in a fire. I contacted former Chief Winfrey and told him about Lt. Henderson's house and he was one of the first ones over there," said Captain Jeremy Heavner.
"[Winfrey] just basically told me that everything was going to be okay and he kind of explained to me how it went with him," added Henderson.
Even in the midst of his own tragedy, Lt. Henderson still answers the call. He was back on the job by Saturday.
"I've come to the realization that they happen regardless of who it is, and at some point it's going to be one of us, and this time it was me," Henderson said.
The Henderson's home burned because of an electrical problem. They are now working with their insurance company.
The family was able to save only a few keepsakes, including some pictures.