Home Destroyed, 2 Injured in Massive House Fire Near Grape Creek

GRAPE CREEK, TX — The fire quickly spread to the main house, said Grape Creek VFD’s Assistant Chief Jose Rivera. He said the building next to the main house is where the fire started, but a strong wind out of the south spread it to the main home before firefighters arrived.

Initially, Rivera said, their main concern was a propane tank that was already hot and simmering when they arrived. “It sounded like a freight train,” Rivera said. The tank was cooled with water and removed from danger of exploding.

Rivera said the unstable weather, shifting wind, and lack of water forced firefighters to go defensive early on. The home is a total loss, he said.

One civilian was badly injured with what Rivera said were “moderate” burns. He was transported to Shannon Medical Center via ambulance.

One firefighter was also mildly burned. The fire was extremely hot and there was a high temperature radiant heat, Rivera said.

Around the home were dozens of livestock animals. Firefighters were still battling the blaze and had not started accounting for lost animals, if any.

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“This fire went up fast and the wind spread it like gasoline. There was no amount of water we could have put on this initially to stop it,” Rivera said.

The Red Cross is responding to aid the family.

Location of the fire:

The area where the fire spread was in a very rural area north of San Angelo surrounded by heavy brush and no fire hydrants.

The fire was reported at 5:20 p.m. near the intersection of March Rd. and Rollin Acres, in the 7700 block of Rollin Acres. Grape Creek VFD, Water Valley VFD, and Carlsbad VFD fought the blaze.