Texas House Destroyed as Firefighters Run Out of Water

The Athens Fire Department was called to the Lake Front Shores subdivision where the home of Gary and Lynda Espy was fully engulfed in flames.

"I heard a popping sound near the north end of the house and I thought it was someone outside popping fireworks," Mr. Espy said. "I was really just going outside to see who it might be when I smelled smoke."...Continue Reading

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He said he smelled a lot of smoke and decided he better call 9-1-1.

By the time the trucks arrived, fire was coming from the roof and the front of the home.

"The last few days I have been noticing the pool pump getting very hot, but I just thought it was because it was so hot outside," Espy said. "I really don't know where it (the fire) might have started."

The Brownsboro Fire Department assisted with the blaze. Mixed with the heat, the blaze caused firemen to get overheated and in need of medical attention.

Then it only got worse.

"We're out of water," a Brownsboro firefighter said.

In fact, both departments at one point had to wait on water to be delivered from the North 19 Fire Rescue water truck.

The firefighters could only stand by while the house crumbled in flames. A neighbor with a four-wheeler and a large water tank, doused the blaze as much as possible during the 15 to 20 minutes they were waiting.

"I just really never thought anything like this would happen," Espy said. "I guess you can just never know when something like this will happen."

Henderson County Fire Marshal John Holcomb's office will do a complete investigation to learn the cause of the blaze.