Some of you may remember that during the summer of '09, we had an arsonist in our neighborhood. He targeted abandoned houses and burned down somewhere between 15 and 20 old homes, all within a couple mile radius of the city house. Eventually they arrested someone for one of the fires, one that was only blocks from me, and although there were a few more after that, they eventually stopped. We were only spending three days a week in the city then and were fearful our house would be targeted so took to leaving the porch light on all the time to let him know the house was not empty. The porch light is still on though not because we are warning away the arsonist but because the switch to turn it off no longer works.
before
I tell this as an intro to a totally unrelated fire. Early Monday morning in our city neighborhood (the chi-chi part), a $2 million, 10,000 sq ft Victorian replica house completed in 2007 burned to the ground. The fire must have been well under way before it was noticed and called in and eventually it was totally consumed by the fire. Unfortunately, the owner and her health care attendant were also consumed by the fire.
This house was 9 short city blocks to the east and 2 ½ long city blocks to the south of our house. It was built in what had been the 'wealthy' part of the neighborhood of Houston Heights. Our little house is actually in Height's Annex, the poor step child of the Heights, a working class neighborhood when we moved in 35 years ago. Was, actually. Oh, our house is still there, but with the gentrification, it's all wealthy now.
I am amazed by how fast and how completely this house burned. I've been watching the gentrification of the neighborhood for about 7 years, the demolishing of the small one and two story bungalows with yards and their replacement with two and three story town homes built nose to butt, a hand width apart. Even the large expensive homes are built to fill the lots. I have seen them go up in a matter of months (although this house was 2 years in the building), matchstick frames covered by a house of cards, modern flimsy pre-fab structures that shake and shudder in high winds, a far cry from the solidly built structures they replace. That it didn't take out the adjacent houses, considering how completely engulfed by fire that it was, is a friggin' miracle and a testament to the firefighters on the scene. Even so, I'm sure they must have sustained some damage.
after
all photos via the Houston Chronicle at
That is awful Ellen. That is some fire. Wow. Did they ever figure out what happened - electrical, cigarettes or arsonist?
ReplyDeleteI am sorry for the loss of life but you are so right it is a testament to the fire fighters that the other homes still stand.
First I understand about neighborhoods rising and falling in chi chiness. My folks built the house we are living in the 60's. At the time....the place to move to in the burbs, now we are in the middle of the busiest park of ABQ and with that came super upgrades in the 80's and now the decline of the neighborhood. Sad but true. Cycles of life even in neighborhoods.
ReplyDeleteSecond, damn fire scares me. We had a small fire, 2 rooms, in our other house started by my 5.5' iguana when she knocked over her heat lamp. It was smoldering when We got home and hadn't burst into flames yet, the firemen came and did what they do. The whole house had to be repainted and we couldn't go back in for a week because of the residual toxins from the fire. We lost our cats, who kept the iguana company during the day. They were overcome with smoke. The iguana got underneath a pile of fabric I was working on for a client and I guess it filtered the smoke. She lived for a couple more years. I hate fire.
The Olde Bagg, Linda
A huge fire, spectacular pictures of a rather awesome
ReplyDeleteawesome event. There is something horribly fascinating about fires, no wonder some people become arsonists.
I make do with a bonfire in the garden, even that can be scary.
The flimsy structures you complain of exist here too, like everywhere I should think. Jerry-built they're called.
That's one of my nightmares - coming home to see our house in flames. Or waking up to it - terrifying!
ReplyDeleteYou are right about the construction - I've seen older homes built with solid hardwood frames that survive fires with minimal structural damage. And I've seen modern homes built in the past decade or two with 2x3 frames that burn to the ground in a matter of minutes. Often it's too late by the time we get there, if there's anyone trapped inside.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, building and fire codes are determined by elected officials, and you don't get reelected by enacting rules that make it more expensive to build homes. It's politically driven, so we get simplistic building codes that don't consider the combustibility of the construction materials. Home builders take advantage of the weakness of those codes to build cheaper houses. Like everything else motivated by politics, it won't change until we start electing people who are willing to make the unpopular choices.
Rant mode off.
Whoa get out the weiners! That is one hell of a blaze- Fire and water, wind and advil- anything in excess will do you in!
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of yard light ours in the country goes on automatically. I have thought about turning it off to save energy but there is that security issue while everyone is asleep which makes me sleep even better.
ReplyDeleteOh that's so heartbreaking.. such a sad loss of life. I hope it was another case of arson.
ReplyDeletei've never seen a whole house on fire. it's overwhelming - that much fire all at once. steven
ReplyDeleteArsonists? Ouch! That's as bad as it gets. I hope you set your porch light on a timer that changes often enough to foil anybody.
ReplyDeleteTotally awful, how quickly it can happen. I wonder at the speed of combustion...the firefighters did an amazing job containing the fire.
ReplyDeleteOh noooooooooo! That was such a beautiful house! I love Victorian replicas.
ReplyDeleteThis is so sad!! We had a house fire and it is devastating. We lost so much and were out of our home for 6 weeks while repairs where being made. Talk about disjointed!!! It was awful! And the smoke scars never disappeared completely.
ReplyDeleteAnd we were so glad for the firefighters. They saved, for the most part, our home!
Hugs
SueAnn
Holy cow. That was a fierce fire. My goodness!
ReplyDeleteWow. Loss of life - all of this story is sad. Was it the arsonist again? Maybe he/she is still out there...
ReplyDeleteI thought 'lady bug, lady bug, fly away home would be about the annoying habit of the little insects to come and live with you in the winter.
ReplyDeleteFires and floods are the worst. I am sorry about the woamn's companion but I would rather go in a fire in my own house than be living still in a nursing home!
I had never been to your sight though and I like it.
As for those evil country lights: I lived in the city most of my life. The years I spent in the country were the best of my life and partly because it was so dark. You didn't need to have outside lights on because very few people would go that far to brave the dark. Perhaps the country you live in is different than what I am speaking of though. We out here in the dark are not so happy that new people are buying up old farms and horse ranches and building palaces to inventory with lights all around to show robbers where to go to get the good stuff.
I thought 'lady bug, lady bug, fly away home would be about the annoying habit of the little insects to come and live with you in the winter.
ReplyDeleteFires and floods are the worst. I am sorry about the woamn's companion but I would rather go in a fire in my own house than be living still in a nursing home!
I had never been to your sight though and I like it.
As for those evil country lights: I lived in the city most of my life. The years I spent in the country were the best of my life and partly because it was so dark. You didn't need to have outside lights on because very few people would go that far to brave the dark. Perhaps the country you live in is different than what I am speaking of though. We out here in the dark are not so happy that new people are buying up old farms and horse ranches and building palaces to inventory with lights all around to show robbers where to go to get the good stuff.
I thought 'lady bug, lady bug, fly away home would be about the annoying habit of the little insects to come and live with you in the winter.
ReplyDeleteFires and floods are the worst. I am sorry about the woamn's companion but I would rather go in a fire in my own house than be living still in a nursing home!
I had never been to your sight though and I like it.
As for those evil country lights: I lived in the city most of my life. The years I spent in the country were the best of my life and partly because it was so dark. You didn't need to have outside lights on because very few people would go that far to brave the dark. Perhaps the country you live in is different than what I am speaking of though. We out here in the dark are not so happy that new people are buying up old farms and horse ranches and building palaces to inventory with lights all around to show robbers where to go to get the good stuff.