UPDATE: Fire ruled an arson

It took eight minutes for firefighters to extinguish a fire that damaged a family's home on East Jackson Street on Monday.

A fire that damaged a Mountain Home residence on Monday was intentionally set, according to information released Thursday by the city police department.

Firefighters responded to the blaze at 1010 East Jackson Street around 7:30 p.m. Sept. 12.

"It was definitely an arson. That is a fact," said assistant fire chief Bud Corbus.

According to Capt. Rick VanMeer from the city fire department, the fire began in a basement hallway with smoke filling the home as crews arrived on scene.

Meanwhile, Police Sgt. Russell Griggs and Officer Brian Thomas had entered the home to rescue the woman, who was trapped in a bedroom. According to VanMeer, the woman is wheelchair bound and was unable to escape on her own.

Investigators are looking "at all avenues on who could've started that fire and for what reasons," Corbus added.

More information will appear in the Sept. 21 edition of the Mountain Home News.

An online account was created on behalf of the family to help them meet their immediate needs. For more information, go online to https://www.gofundme.com/2rfwenbg.