ELSA — Officials here are urging residents to practice more fire safety measures after a resident’s home was destroyed in a blaze caused by an unattended grill last month.
On Jan. 25, the Elsa Volunteer Fire Department responded to a fire at a wood-framed home after high winds caused flames from an unattended barbecue pit to leap and ignite an exterior wall of the home on fire.
Chief Bryan Hathorn said the homeowner was inside the house when it caught fire and smelled smoke, and unsuccessfully tried to extinguish the fire himself before calling the department.
Hathorn said firefighters arrived on scene at 3:50 p.m.
“There was already heavy smoke visible as soon as we left the station,” Hathorn said. “The house was fully engulfed, so it was a pretty thick black cloud of smoke.”
A total of two Elsa fire engines and one Edcouch engine arrived at the scene within minutes. By then the entire front portion of the home was engulfed, Hathorn said.
“He had a hard time coping with the situation. We did do our best to advise and comfort him to let him know he was very lucky when he wasn’t inside the home when the fire spread,” the chief added.
It took 18 firefighters and an hour and a half to extinguish the fire, but the house was considered a total loss and left the resident with ashes, although he escaped with his life.
Hathorn said situations like this are unfortunately common. On average, he said the fire department receives about 12 calls a year regarding house fires.
House fires can happen for a variety of reasons, but Hathorn stressed the most common causes include cooking accidents like the one last week and electrical fires, where people overload their breakers or switches that overheat and cause a fire.
“It’s just making sure you don’t overload your electrical switches, making sure you use extension cords properly and, in this case, making sure you use barbecue pits away from the home and it’s completely extinguished and never leave it unattended,” Hathorn said.
Hathorn advised the public to always be aware of open flames and to contact emergency services if needed.
