Drake Family Speaks of Life and Loss After Massive House Fire

When Heather Drake and her son, McKaden, left their house on Armstrong Street Wednesday, there was little more on their minds than an upcoming birthday party. Wednesday marked McKaden’s eighth birthday, and the family had been preparing for his party Saturday, mother and son distributing invitations around town while the other two Drake boys waited at home.

Around 5:20 p.m., 13-year-old Jacob and 16-year-old Joshua Drake smelled smoke coming up through the house’s vents. As the smoke detectors sounded, the Drake boys went downstairs to investigate, Heather Drake said. The boys saw a few sparks and headed back up stairs, and by the time they’d reached the main house it had filled entirely with smoke.

“They (Jacob and Joshua) called 911, and they came,“ Drake said. “My husband [David Drake] was out of town—he was in New Orleans—so they got a hold of him and he called me and told me to go home.”

The two boys fled to a neighbor’s house unharmed, but the house was quickly engulfed in flames. Fire Investigator Karla Steppe said Thursday that firefighters arrived on scene within two minutes and immediately began trying to extinguish the blaze. 

"It took about an hour to get the fire under control" Steppe said. "Due to the size of the structure and the way the the construction is...orginally, we thought we had fire on the second floor and in the attic. We later realized that the source was coming from the first floor."

The fire burned for approximately 2 1/2 hours before flames were no longer visible from the exterior. The Fire Department remained on scene extinguishing smouldering embers and dissiminating an oxygen-robbing foam for an additional two to three hours, before the house was deemed to no longer be a threat. 

What remained in the fire's wake was a soggy and charred structure and a houseful of lost memories. Now, the family is coping with the loss of their home and valuables, but Heather Drake says not all was lost.

“I’ve just stepped right inside the living room [since yesterday]," Heather Drake said in an interview Thursday morning. "I don’t know everything [that has been lost] yet. I know some things like the dining room dining set, one of our couches, chairs, piano—those things for sure…pretty much anything in the master bedroom is gone," Drake said. "That’s all I know for sure, because I didn’t get to go back into the kitchen or the family room, because we have two living spaces. I’m going at 1:00 p.m. to look."

According to Drake and Steppe, the damage to the interior of the house was severe. While the fire did not touch all of the four bedrooms, two living spaces, two bathrooms and kitchen, those areas not affected by the burn show significant smoke and water damage. The basement has also been completely flooded, and pieces of surviving furniture were scattered before the house at 2:00 p.m. Thursday, when a press conference took place. Most of the items appeared to have been hit with water or covered with soot.

"Some of the rooms upstairs, they weren’t really touched," Drake said. "Everything’s wet, everything’s soaking wet, and there’s smoke damage to everything, pretty much. But we were just really blessed because the fire was…in a room where we had a lot of things stored, like family photos, family albums and everything, and I thought they would all be gone and they’re not, by a miracle, really, they’re fine. Those are the things…that are important to you, and those things, we still have. Some of them, anyway."

After the fire, the family is coping with some detrimental changes, but have seen support since the fire started at 5:15 p.m.

“Our insurance has been really great,” Drake said. “They’ve put us up in a hotel for 13 days, and then they said that they will pay temporary housing until we get our house rebuilt.

“We’re members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, and they have just been amazing,” Drake added. “When we showed up at the hotel room, they had bags and bags of clothing and food and just supplies that we would need.”

Drake mentioned that the Red Cross and other community members have also stepped in and showed an immense amount of support, offering money for clothes and food and helping the family as needed. The church has also taken over organizing McKaden’s birthday party, which will now be held at Mr. Gatti’s on Saturday to allow the family a break from planning and provide time to tend to other concerns.

Despite the loss and uncertainty of what the future will hold for their home, Drake remains optimistic.

“I know a lot of people were praying for us, and I really think the prayers were heard,” she said.  “I guess, it’s kind of—you never know how you’re really going to feel, but I’m just so grateful that our family is ok. When it comes right down to it, that’s what really matters, that you still have your family. Those other things are just things.”

The family expressed immense gratitude to the San Angelo Fire Department for risking their lives to save the home. Drake said, “I do know that…for a while, in the beginning, they lost contact with some of the firefighters and they were actually worried for their lives, so they had to go in and make sure that they were ok. We just really appreciate that they put their lives on the line to save our home.”

The house at 3825 Armstrong was built in the 1900s and has withstood tornados and bad weather, and was a historical piece of San Angelo’s past. At 2,600 square feet, the house has a tax value on improvements of $95,400, the land valued at $12,900.

The Drake family moved from Utah to San Angelo in 2009 and immediately purchased the old, Victorian-style home in north San Angelo. Heather's husband, David Drake, works for Texas A&M University as a plant scientist and economics professor, Drake says.

Heather Drake ran classes for her business, Charisma Dance Academy, out of the home, which means that her business has momentarily been put on hold until an alternate location can be found.

According to Karla Steppe, “There was a heating and cooling unit that was inside a closet, and based on the burn patterns, the lowest burning and the most damage initially was in the lower level.

“The construction was very sound, but the methods were different, and with that construction that means is that there's open channels, there's no blocking between floors,” Steppe said. “So, when there was a problem next to that heater, it traveled all the way up and that's how the fire communicated throughout the whole of the house.”

Officially, the cause of the fire is undetermined, however Steppe says a probable cause is the buildup of lint on the heater coils. As of yet, the total damage has not been assessed and it remains unclear as to whether the house can be salvaged or if it will have to be demolished and rebuilt.

In the event of a total rebuild, Drake says the family will likely make only minor changes to the original layout, but maintain the Victorian style of the previous structure. Steppe says there are parts of the house that are structurally sound, but that a more extensive examination will be required before salvage opportunities can be discussed.

No one was injured in the fire on Wednesday, firefighters included. The family saw one casualty, however there was also an unexpected save of a family pet.

“We lost the hamster, but my son had a bearded dragon lizard and amazingly, he survived, so we have him still. That’s Freddy. He was pretty cold and scared, but he’s fine,” Drake said.

Those wishing to contribute to the Drake family should contact the Red Cross at (325) 658-4409, or the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, 2815 Christoval Road, (325) 651-5970.

More photos from the fire may be found here.