On Thursday just after 4:30 a.m., several Lubbock Fire crews responded to a house fire near 24th street and Avenue U. While the exact cause of the fire is still undetermined, the Lubbock Fire Marshal’s office is investigating it as arson.
It was the back of the structure that sustained the most damage. The house was vacant and no injuries were reported.
Next door however, Amanda Hernandez, woke up in a panic. She says at first she heard a loud ‘boom’ sound thinking that someone was breaking into her home.
She reached her phone to call 9-1-1, and after looking out her window to the bright flames outside, she quickly realized the home next door had caught on fire.
“Being woken up by a fire, it’s everyone’s first nightmare,” said Hernandez. “I was still trying to wake up, is this real? I grabbed my dogs and told the dispatcher it wasn’t my house, it was the house next door. It was pretty stressful.”
Hernandez was the only one at home at the time with her two dogs. Once she was able to get them all out safely, nearby neighbors came by to check on her and make sure she was fine.
She said if it were not for Lubbock Fire’s quick response time, her house would have been engulfed. Her trees and fence were burned in the fire, and was just inches away from the playhouse her nephew plays in.
“I’m thankful that no one was hurt, no one was caught in it. I believe we’re just a little more grateful that it wasn’t our house. We’ve invested a lot, my husband works really hard, and to lose something you’ve worked on for somebody that doesn’t have anything or anywhere to go, it’s tough to take in.”
Hernandez said the house had been vacant since April, and has been no stranger to visits from squatters seeking shelter. She said other than that a mess that sometimes gets left behind, that it has never worried her, until the fire broke out.
“If the people who caused this did it intentionally that is sad on your behalf because you not only destroyed somebody else’s property but you also jeopardized my property. It makes you feel very uneasy,” said Hernandez. “If there’s a vacant home, you see people hanging around it, get them out of there. There’s never a stop to it.”
Since January 01, 2017, Lubbock Fire Rescue has responded to six fires at vacant structures that were secured. Since then, they’ve also responded to nine fires at vacant structures that were not left secure.
Anyone with information is encouraged to contact the Lubbock Fire Marshal’s office at 806-775-2646.
