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Fire causes roofs to collapse on homes near Gowan and Pecos roads

Posted at 2:51 PM, Jun 07, 2017
and last updated 2017-06-08 16:50:39-04

UPDATE 8:30 P.M. JUNE 8: Brittany Barnes was getting ready for work this afternoon when she smelled the smoke. Her husband went outside to see what was wrong.

“He ran back inside and me the neighbor’s house was on fire and get the baby,” Barnes said.

Seconds later someone pounded on their door.

“The fire had spread to our house and we need to get out now,” Barnes said.

The fire broke out around this afternoon at a home on Three Bars Court, wind fanning the flames next door to Barnes’s home.

“I ran out with my 2-year-old daughter, who had nothing but a diaper, I had no shoe on,” Barnes said.

The pavement was so hot a neighbor gave her shoes.

“My feet have blisters because it was such a frantic mess,” Barnes said.

Investigators are looking into whether a kitchen fire or possible squatters are to blame. Neighbors said there is an unusual amount of traffic at odd hours.

“Cars in and out here, all hours of the night crazy music,” Barnes said.

Sequoia James-Bass has three kids from age 7 down to 5 weeks. She worries about their safety.

“Literally it’s so close to home.”

Barnes, her daughter, her husband and her brother made it out to safety. Their pets were not as lucky. The family rescued one dog. Three others were trapped inside.

A friend of the family set up a GoFundMe page to help pay for expenses related to the fire. If you would like to donate, click here.

ORIGINAL STORY

A fire broke out around 12:47 p.m. on the 3600 block of Three Bars Court, near East Gowan and North Pecos roads.

One woman says her home caught fire after it spread from a nearby house. She also says the man living in the home that originally caught fire is in jail and is not currently living there. The woman claims squatters have been residing in the home during his absence.

The woman's husband saw the neighboring home on fire and urged her to collect their 2-year-old child and dog  so they could immediately vacate their own home.

As they were exiting they were met by firefighters and were alerted that their home had caught fire as well.

Units worked to put out the blaze but the roofs of both homes collapsed and the houses appeared to be destroyed. By the time the fire was out, a total of three homes were affected.

The American Red Cross is assisting five adults and one child displaced by the fire. No injuries were reported. Officials are investigating the cause.