Around 5 a.m. Wednesday morning, Lubbock Fire crews responded to Grace Campus after a fire broke out of one of the “tiny homes” on the grounds.
Upon investigation, the Lubbock Fire Marshal’s Office has now ruled the fire as arson. The two women who live in the house were not home at the time of the fire, and no injuries were reported.
A resident who was patrolling the grounds at the time of the fire first spotted the flames and made the emergency call.
Chris Moore, executive director of Grace Campus, says crews responded within minutes and were able to put out the fire quickly. The fire was only contained to one house. Moore said it is unclear where the two women were at the time of the fire, but that they are now safe and will be given another temporary home to stay in.
“There was nobody in the house and the flames did not reach any of the other structures, so that was good. Very thankful for that,” said Moore. “We had another house that’s open and so we’ll move them to that, everything that was in this building is gone, and so we’ll give them more clothing and hygiene items.”
Moore shared that in the time that the tiny homes have been up, Grace Campus has never experienced a fire. Volunteer groups have already arranged to go to the campus and help where they can.
As the investigation continues, Moore says a couple of ways the community can help are by dropping off maintenance supplies so that they can begin repairs to the home quickly, as well as warm weather items and clothing. He shared that the winter months are the busiest time of year for them, and can use as many supplies as they can get. Over the past four days, Grace Campus has already taken in 12 more residents.
Grace Campus is located at 1301 Avenue A, and can be reached at: 806-500-5006
