Family's dream home destroyed
Daughter moved into own apartment 3 weeks before
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INEZ - One couple remains thankful they weren't sleeping in their home when flames destroyed it.
Felix, 52, and Debbie Jimenez, 47, had met up to eat at the Golden Corral after Debbie's shift ended at 9 p.m. on Friday. They didn't get one bite.
Their real estate agent called to tell them their beautiful three-bedroom house was burning. Firefighters called the agent's number on the "for sale" sign in the yard.
"Thank God," Debbie thought, thankful that her husband had left the house.
But concern kicked in when she thought of her chocolate Labrador Penny stuck in the fenced-in yard.
Luckily, she was fine.
Victoria County Pct. 4 Constable John Miller, was on his way to another call when he saw smoke coming from the home at 52 Hollybrook Drive in Inez. He called dispatchers just before 9 p.m. and minutes later, Inez volunteer firefighters arrived on scene.
The fire burned through the attic, causing the roof to collapse into the home, Victoria County Fire Marshal Ronald Pray said. A couple of rooms below caught fire and the house, including an apartment in the back, was destroyed.
Victoria and Inez firefighters and the county tanker from the airport got control of the fire by 10:30 p.m., Pray said.
"They did a really good job," Pray said.
The fire started in the electrical wiring in the attic, he said.
Debbie appreciates the quick work of the firefighters and watched in the front yard while they battled the blaze. She watched her carport give out and collapse onto one of the hoses.
No firefighters were injured.
Debbie thanks God her 18-year-old daughter, Laura Jimenez, had moved out of the back apartment three weeks ago. Just last week, Laura's bathroom in her Victoria apartment also caught fire because of electrical wiring.
On Saturday, the three Jimenezes walked through the home and tried to salvage what they could.
Debbie opened one wooden cupboard and found her tissue paper was untouched.
"Can you believe it? Toilet paper and Kleenex," she said, then shook her head.
The couple is currently staying in a motel and plan to take it "one day at a time." Felix and Debbie will celebrate their 20th anniversary on Feb. 22.
The family moved into the home a year and a half ago from High Desert, Calif., but wanted to sell their home after gas prices increased. They didn't want to commute as far to work.
Felix was to start in the city's utilities department on Monday and Debbie works as a merchandise customer associate at Sears.
Luckily again, their real estate agent told them to get all their personal items and bulkier furniture out of the house and into storage, so it would sell better. The home has been on the market for seven months.
All the photographs and sentimental items were saved, but the family needs clothes. Debbie plans to go to the Red Cross on Monday.
The couple hoped to retire in Victoria County. Now, they don't know what the future holds.
"We're alive. We're here," Debbie said. "We're here to live another day."
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HOW TO HELP
To help the Jimenez family, please call the Crossroads Chapter of the Red Cross at 361-573-2671.
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Because of a variety of personal attacks and unsubstantiated assertions posted, we have locked this thread. Please refrain from rumor-mongering. Thank you.
January 18, 2009 at 7:38 p.m.justmerighthere,
January 18, 2009 at 5:41 p.m.Using Critical Thinking and Analyzing Skills;
Your Assumption is not supported by the facts in evidence. And most third graders would be cognizant of that.
Have A Great day!
I love the back-peddling! Probably is a very good time to quit the subject! You are digging a hole you cannot get out of and people calling you on it are just making it deeper for you.
January 18, 2009 at 5:36 p.m.I'm glad the family and the dog are ok.
January 18, 2009 at 4:09 p.m.True justme,
I replied because of YOUR statement on one of YOUR previous posts "You can cut an electrical cord and it will catch fire!
FYI!"
I'm glad you know the difference tho, usually those types of fires are cause by extension cords under a rug that have been stepped on lots of times, and those awful plastic turn one outlet in to three things. (not power strips, they have there own protection)
January 18, 2009 at 3:47 p.m.One more thing bobbym,
It didn't specifically state they could not afford it anymore! It said they wanted to sell it when gas prices went up since they had to commute so far to and from work.
Now that requires critical thinking and analyzing skills.
Most should develop those by third grade, however, a lot of people do not.
Have a great day!
January 18, 2009 at 3:37 p.m.justmerighthere,
A cut electrical wire will not cause a fire, if it is cut there is not any current going thru it.A damaged wire will in some cases, depending on what it's next to and the amperage of the breaker on the circuit.
Since the article stated that the fire started in the attic, IMO some critter chewed on the wire and exposed the hot side and the neutral side, then some kind of material was close by to ignite, ie: paper backing on insulation or even dust(which is way flammable by the way). Even the smallest breaker in a house is usually 15 amps.
That's more than enough current to ignite something without tripping the breaker.
January 18, 2009 at 3:19 p.m.I missed the part in the article where it said anything about insurance.
I missed the part where it said they couldn't afford the house anymore.
However, it sounds like justmerighthere has experience on starting fires.
January 18, 2009 at 1:48 p.m.the negativity of some people here really amazes!
January 18, 2009 at 11:01 a.m.Let ME guess, Interested Reader : Because the family is hispanic you ASSUME they have no insurance? Talk about stereotypical!
In case you didn't know this, most mortgage companies, just like auto loan companies, want to protect their interest and will REQUIRE the property be insured. A lot of times, depending on the lender, the hazard/casulty insurance is included in your monthly mortgage payment.
As far as the fire being suspicious -- well, I don't think so. If the fire department has already determined the cause of the blaze, there is nothing to be suspicous of....
Thank God no human or animal was injured.... this could have been much, much worse.
January 18, 2009 at 10:22 a.m.Where, in this whole entire article, did you read that there was no insurance on this home? I cannot believe the audacity of the people in Victoria just making statements with no veracity and the gullible people who believe them. And then there are those who find the fire "suspicious" when it was started by faulty wiring in the attic. Who ARE you people?
January 18, 2009 at 9:02 a.m.