2-Alarm Fire: Firefighters Battle 60-Foot Flames at Old House

Large structure fire erupted Wednesday evening on E. 14^th Street. When the initial call went out to the San Angelo Fire Department at 6:20 p.m., only a plume of black smoke was visible. As the firefighters were responding to the first alarm, flames grew. First they were 10 feet in the air, then 20. We estimate that before the flames were knocked down, they were as high as 60 feet in the air.

Over the radio, the battalion chief could be heard calmly calling for more water.

The fire was reported to be at a residence. We will update this story when more information is available.

Update 6:45 p.m.

Battalion chief said over the radio that the fire is under control for the most part.

Update 6:50 p.m.

Family members have arrived, but they are not sure if anyone was in the house. That is what they are asking at the scene.

Update 7:07 p.m.

According to witnesses at the scene, three souls live in the house, along with at least two dogs. Two of the family members were not home but the mother was fast asleep inside as the smoke appeared on the exterior. Concerned neighbors awoke the mother and helped her escape the home soon to be engulfed in flames.

Update 8:05 p.m.

Battalion Chief Royce Owen briefed the media after the fire was extinguished. He said that two people getting off work were driving past and saw the fire. They stopped, and forced entry into the house to rescue inhabitants, if any. They found the mother of the three-person family asleep inside and assisted her to safety. KLST heard on the scene that the employees were leaving work at Palmer Feed, located right down the street. Owen could not confirm that.

The first on the scene was an EMS crew and an ambulance and they reported that the house was fully engulfed in flames. When the first engine arrived, the firefighters initiated what Owen explained was a “fast attack” from the rear of the home. He said that the front of the house was already covered in flames, but the flames had not yet spread to the back. “We were trying to save the rear of the house,” Owen said.

Although the firefighters were successful saving the rear area, because of the extensive damage to the attic and the front of the house, he estimates the fire caused a total loss of the structure.

“It’s uninhabitable,” Owen said. Red Cross arrived at the scene to offer the family shelter. The house was a rental, Owen said he heard.

“Until the investigation is complete, we don’t have more information,” Owens said.

Fire inspector Thomas Truett with the Fire Marshal’s office is investigating the cause.