Published: November 27, 2009 08:25 am      

Pre-Thanksgiving fire

Orangefield home destroyed by flames

ORANGEFIELD — An early Wednesday morning fire left a house totally destroyed in Orange County.

Bridge City Fire and Rescue responded to a call of a structure fire before 3 a.m., Wednesday, at the corner of FM 1442 and Beverly Drive, which is just south of FM 105. The house was fully engulfed by the time firefighters arrived.

According to a Bridge City Fire and Rescue representative, the call was received at 2:56 a.m. Firefighters remained at the scene until approximately 7:45 a.m., Wednesday. Units from McLewis Volunteer Fire Department, Pinehurst Volunteer Fire Department and Orange County Emergency Services District 1 in Vidor also responded to the call.

No injuries were reported and the cause of the fire is unknown at this time and still under investigation.

The family which lives in the house was reportedly out of town at the time of the fire.

The devastation caused by the fire is visible from the roadway. More than half the house burned to the ground, while the other half is completed gutted. The remains of a truck and ashes from the burned belongings litter the ground, while a mini-van sits by the ditch at the edge of the property with the front of the vehicle melted from the heat of the fire.

Neighbor Tana Howard, who lives directly behind the destroyed house, said the heat from the blaze was beyond stifling.

“We couldn’t even get close to it,” Howard said. “We had to move our travel trailer from the fence because the heat was so bad. We tried to walk around the house to make sure no one was home, but it was so intense. It was a very helpless feeling knowing we couldn’t get close enough to do anything.”

Howard said her 13-year-old son, Tryce, was sleeping on the couch in the living room and woke because of “loud crackling sounds” he heard coming from outside.

“At first my son thought someone might be trying to break into our house, but he looked outside and saw the house next door on fire and came and woke us up,” Howard added. “We called 911 and tried to see what else we could do, but there wasn’t much we could do.”

Howard said she heard several explosions and that the fire appears to have in the area of garage of the house.

“Thankfully no one was hurt,” she said. “It was just unbelievable how quickly it all happened.”