Canadian County K9 Officer And His Family Lose Home To Fire

Fire destroys the home of a Canadian County K-9 officer and his family. Now, his fellow deputies and his neighbors in Northwest Oklahoma City are stepping up to help the veteran officer who often helps others.

Sgt. Kevin Johnson, a 30-year police veteran, says he's had to deal with a lot of tragedies over the years, but it's rare that he ends up being the one involved.

Tuesday afternoon, his wife was home cooking when he got a frantic phone call.

“I was at work on the highway, and she said that the house was on fire,” said Johnson.

At work, more 50 miles away in Canadian County working along I-40, the K-9 officer had no idea what he was about to come home to.

“When I got there, she told me that she was cooking dinner for the evening, and some grease spilled over to the burner,” said Johnson.

Flames grew out of control and took over the kitchen.

“To see the damage, and then you realize, you’re homeless,” said Johnson.

The inside of the home, destroyed.

“You have the plaster coming off the ceilings and all the rooms, and all the carpets soaked,” said Johnson.

Luckily, Johnson's wife and teenage son were able to make it out, but his wife tried to put out the flames.

“They had to give oxygen because she almost got overcome with the smoke,” said neighbor, JoAnn Black.  

JoAnn Black rushed over to make sure her neighbors were okay.  

“They were able to get out just in time, because it had gotten so intense,” said Black.

“I’ve dealt with a lot of tragedy, fire, floods, tornadoes, even hurricanes,” said Johnson. “But it’s different when you’re the one that’s involved. We’re a blessed family, so we’re going to persevere.”   

Johnson and his family are living in a hotel provided by the Red Cross, but they're looking for a temporary place to call home.

One of Johnson's fellow deputies has created a GoFundMe account to help the family. Click here to donate.