Fire caused extensive damage to the house of Tommy and Delores Loving last Saturday in the small Missouri town of Republic.

Smoke alarms woke the couple about 12:30 a.m. Tommy Loving, a retired Nazarene minister who served in Mississippi, Oklahoma, Texas, and Missouri, immediately thought it was a malfunctioning carbon monoxide detector.

Upon going through the house, Loving could hear all the smoke alarms sounding and could smell burning plastic, he said.

When he opened the garage door, he saw his pickup truck in flames.

The fire destroyed both vehicles and raced into the roof of the garage. The rest of the house sustained extensive smoke and water damage.

Firefighters estimated the damage in excess of $100,000. The Lovings will be displaced for about six months while their home is rebuilt.

The insurance process is moving along quickly, due to the expertise of the couple's retired firefighter son-in-law, David Fenton.

"We are so thankful for the outpouring of support and prayers of our immediate family and our worldwide church family," Tommy Loving said.