A fire that raged during the night in Luling’s Lakewood Estates subdivision destroyed the inside of a home and has displaced the family that lived there.
Craig Petit, Luling Volunteer Fire Department fire chief, said the actual cause of the fire is undetermined, but that an investigation revealed a resident was at home on the patio with the home’s gas fireplace burning.
“The occupant heard some popping noises and went outside, noticing the fire,” Petit said, adding that the fire occurred in the area where the home’s chimney and attic meet.
Firefighters with the Luling and Paradis Volunteer Fire Departments were dispatched to the home, located on S Lake Drive, at 8:38 p.m. on Feb. 3. According to Petit, the first fire officer arrived on the scene approximately two minutes later and saw flames coming from a chimney and light smoke coming out of the eves and roof vents.
The first engine arrived at 8:45 p.m., he said.
Once the fire team entered the home, they found the first floor was clear, but there was heavy smoke and high heat conditions on the second floor. A heavy fire was found in the attic, which was quickly extinguished, Petit said, but a smaller fire continued burning near a fire place; that fire’s location, in the corner of hip roof construction, made it difficult to totally extinguish the fire. Access holes were cut into the roof and helped ultimately put the fire down.
Petit said there was heavy fire, smoke and water damage found in the attic and full upstairs area. The bottom floor had incurred light damage from smoke and water.
A resident of the home asked not to be identified for the story, but did convey to other residents of the subdivision via Facebook that the damage to the home is substantial and will require a complete tear down of the roof structure and everything within the home, leaving only the brick walls and studs.
She said it’s estimated the process would take between six months to a year to complete.
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