The fire at the home on Oak Lawn Drive was reported just before 1am.
According to the Montgomery County Fire Marshal's Office, gasoline was poured throughout the home with the exception of the two bedrooms where Dr. Genese Bell, her husband and their daughter were asleep.
Smoke alarms awoke the family. Bell and her daughter sustained minor injuries while escaping. Bell's husband, an educator with Shepherd ISD, tried to contain the fire with a garden hose until firefighters arrived.
The exterior of the home is intact. The interior is badly damaged.
It's left people in this rural neighborhood surprised and concerned. Neighbors to whom we spoke said they learned of the fire online. None said they heard sirens during the night. Houses are set on acreage, unlike typical subdivisions.
"I tell my wife, I thinking we need to get a dog to live in the yard," neighbor Ronnie Smith said.
The Bell family had dogs as well, both of which were rescued by firefighters, we're told.
For now, the family will have to stay elsewhere until the house can be repaired.
Later Sunday, the fire marshal announced a teenager had been taken into custody. Because the suspect is a minor, no other information about the case will be released by his office.
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