Fire Department Extinguishes Blaze on Van Buren

Van Buren has been closed at Forest Park due to a fire that caught in a two-story garage apartment. 

The San Angelo Fire Department and San Angelo police are on scene, and the fire appears to have been extinguished. 

Firemen are investigating the fire on a hell. There is a possiblity that there are pets that did not make it out, and an elderly woman received treatment at the scene. 

The 911 call came in at approximately 7:00 p.m. and was reported in the 1300 block of Van Buren.

Update 7:48 p.m.

AEP has turned power off to the residence and Atmos Energy is on scene to check on a gas meter that was in the fire. 

Update 10:02 p.m.

Battalion Chief Royce Owen said that when firefighters arrived, the garage apartment was approximately 50 percent involved in fire, and the team of firemen immediately made a fast attack, resulting in their ability to save a good portion of the structure.

The garage apartment is an estimated 10 or 15 feet from the main house, however firefighters were able to keep the fire from spreading. 

Two gas meters on the exterior of the garage were involved in the fire, however are not believed to be the origin of the fire. 

The cause is still under investigation, and there were no humans or pets injured.

The Red Cross showed up on scene to assist the family. One person occupies the garage apartment, however a family in the main house was also affected, as the gas had to be cut off due to the blaze. 

Owen said the firefighters and police officers had difficulty accessing the site due to the amount of traffic in the area.