Home lost in fire

Home lost in fire

HUNTER DWORACZYK [email protected]

A fire destroyed a Taylor home Thursday morning.

On Oct. 5, the Taylor Fire Department was dispatched at around 10:30 a.m. for a structure fire near the intersection of Fairground Street and Prather Street. According to the Taylor Fire Department, the house is considered to be a total loss.

“There was one resident at home,” Fire Chief Daniel Baum said. “That resident safely evacuated. There were no injuries.”

While the cause of the fire is unclear, Baum said the investigation was wrapped up by the end of the day Thursday. He said an exact cause cannot be determined due to the extent of damage.

“Typically, in a case like this, where a fire is fully involved, there is usually not a whole lot to determine,” Baum said. “We may be able to determine where the fire started. We’ll interview the homeowner and see what information we can gather from them.”

Baum said the fire is going to be determined as accidental.

The single-family home was fully involved with fire when firefighters arrived, Baum said. Those on the scene could not safely go inside, meaning firefighters had to take a defensive approach.

Firefighters sprayed water from the outside for about an hour until the blaze was extinguished.

There was concern when responders arrived, that the fire would spread to homes in close proximity, but the firefighter’s defensive maneuvers prevented it from reaching neighboring homes.

One neighbor believed that the morning’s rain may have limited the fire’s reach.

Baum said smoke from the fire was visible from a distance.

“When we got dispatched, I was in the neighborhood of the high school, and I saw (the smoke),” he said.

Taylor firefighters were assisted by the Hutto Fire Department on scene. The Williamson County Emergency Service District No. 10 helped with city coverage while Taylor FD dealt with the flames.