Structure Fire Rages on E. 28 St.

There was a fire raging inside a residential home on the 400 block of E.28 St. this morning shortly before 9a.m.

Loud pops and hisses could  be heard coming from inside the structure, sounding similar to fireworks, when LIVE! arrived. According to the owner, those are likely aerosol cans succumbing to the heat of the fire, who sat with his mother in a car, watching their house burn nearby.

"I was making coffee for my mother when I noticed the lights flickering," said the home owner. "I went outside and noticed there was smoke coming from the attic area, so I went back in and told mama we had to get out, the house is on fire."

Reluctant to leave, the homeowner and his eldery mother, along with one of their dogs were able to escape before the fire engulfed the home.

"Fluffy, our other dog did not want to get in the car," the home owner said. "He is probably running the neighborhood now."

The smoke is dense, billowing down the street and is visible from LIVE! headquarters downtown. The San Angelo Fire Department and Police Department are keeping media and all others from coming in close proximity to the structure as they work  to insure the flames have been extinguished.  The house is still smouldering, from what could have been an electrical fire.

The homeowner did indicate that insurance was carried on the home. Red Cross has been called to assist the mother and son who are still sitting in their car watching the aftermath.

It will be a few hours before SAFD knows more and an official statement can be made. We will update this story as details become available.

Update 3 p.m.

(By Joe Hyde)

At 8:43 a.m. the first of multiple 911 calls were received reporting the structure fire.

Police arrived on the scene first and reported heavy black smoke coming out the front door and into the street. “The fire was completely involved with the house and the carport,” City of San Angelo Fire Investigator Karla Steppe said.

Firefighters arrived almost immediately after the police officer’s initial report. The tactic they used immediately was what firefighters call getting “defensive.” “It involved the structure, and a vehicle, and it was threatening the neighboring residences,” Steppe said. The firefighters set forth to protect the adjacent properties from exposure.

“There were a lot of combustibles inside the residence, and also outside the residence, which added to the intensity of the fire,” she said.

Steppe interviewed the owner/occupant and he said that he had just gotten up and noticed the lights flickering in the house. He said he didn’t smell anything, or see any smoke, she said. “When he walked out the front door, and the carport is built right up to the front of the house, which is also in front of his bedroom,” she said. He saw there was a support pole for the carport where there was Nomex wiring hanging from that pole. “He saw it arcing,” Steppe said.

The arcing of the electrical wiring caught the combustibles stored underneath inside the carport on fire. “There were a lot of paint aerosol cans,” she said. “So he knew that it was going to spread pretty quick.”

The occupant went back inside to help his mother who lives with him out of the house.

Steppe said that the multiple aerosol cans blowing up under the carport caused the loud popping and occasional bangs. Louder concussions were heard when the tires on a disabled pickup parked in front of the carport exploded.

The house is a total loss. “It is structurally unsound and has been secured,” Steppe said. “Given that the damage was so severe, the house is going to have to be demolished. I’m going to request that the fire marshal issue an order.”

“The firefighters did a wonderful job of protecting the neighboring property,” Steppe said.

The official causes were electrical and accidental, Steppe said. Steppe confirmed that the occupant/homeowner has insurance and Red Cross is assisting him and his mother in securing shelter.