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Fire puts damper on Christmas
Submitted photo - Members of the Little Elm Fire Department Auxiliary measure and cut plywood to secure a home in the 100 block of Clark street that sustained heavy smoke, fire and water damage on Christmas morning.
By Emily Hill, ehill@acnpapers.com
Christmas morning should be spent opening gifts and spending time with family. Instead, a family spent their holiday morning escaping a fire in their home.
At 7:41 a.m., fire departments from Little Elm, Aubrey, Lake Cities and The Colony responded to a house fire in the 100 block of Clark Street. Firefighters were able to contain the fire in a bedroom of the home and the family evacuated safely. Only one resident was treated on scene for minor injuries.
The house sustained heavy heat, smoke and water damage, but Emergency Medical Services Division Chief Todd Jamison said the house is salvageable.
The residents of the home were able to salvage some of their possessions, but their Christmas tree had melted during the fire.
After receiving a phone call, the Little Elm Fire Department Auxiliary immediately went into action. Five people from the group went to the heavily damaged house to secure broken windows and busted down doors as part of a program for after the fire.
"They left their families on Christmas morning to come out and take care of the house for them," Jamison said.
After a house fire is put out, many times families are left on their own to secure their home and possessions. Instead, The LEFD Auxiliary help the families with their a community response unit, which filled with building materials such as plywood, tarps and plastic sheeting and tools to help secure homes after a fire has happened. It also carries toys and stuffed animals for children.
"We were fortunate there were no children and everybody got out of the house safely," Michael Gaffney, LEFD Auxiliary president, said.
To keep it stocked, the unit relies upon donations to the LEFD Auxiliary and their annual golf tournament fundraiser, which will be held on April 27. To donate, visit www.lefda.org.
Gaffney said he was laying in bed Christmas morning when he heard the sirens.
"The kids hadn't got out of bed yet, amazingly," Gaffney said.
He received a phone call an hour later. Gaffney and his son Hunter, who is a Little Elm Fire Explorer, responded to the scene and were able to secure the premises quickly.
"We had just done Santa. I told my wife we need to do this real quick," Gaffney said.
Gaffney said he doesn't believe the home had smoke detectors.
"I'm going to try to get some folks together and go knock door-to-door and see if they have smoke detectors and see if they work properly," Gaffney said.
If a home is found to be without one, the group has some donated smoke detectors that they will be able to hand out and install. LEFDA also offers inspections for smoke detectors to ensure they are working properly. To schedule an appointment, call the department at 214-975-0420.
Gaffney suggested changing the batteries out whenever the time changes occur.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation by the fire marshal at this time. The American Red Cross also came out to the scene to offer food, clothing and shelter but it is unknown whether the residents took its offer.
"It's pretty sad," Gaffney said. "Their Christmas tree was torched. Luckily, everybody got out."
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