Fire hits home of Leo Waltz & Mary Carlisle
in Webster Texas
Updated 11/1/98 with images from fire tapes.
This was the damage to our duplex... we lived on the left half and the fire started on the right side in the bedroom that appears to be the center in this photo.  There is a one car garage and one car entry area for each side of the duplex.  The car in the lower left was inside the garage below the fire and the floor fell down on it.


View of the neighbors balcony on the opposite side showing the open air / skylight that resulted.


This view is from our attic out.  The studs showing were on our side of the 30 minute firewall, and their damage is slight compared to the studs on the other side which are totally gone.  The fire reached our attic via the outside and the top of the roof line.  The fire-retartant sheetrock was blasted by fire hoses in the fire attack.


Interior shot on our side where a fireman fell through the ceiling.  There was an additional section knocked out by the fire hose, but otherwise our main damage was smoke and water except for the attic.  We have relocated nearby while most of our contents are warehoused.   We got the rest of the clothes back the week of 10/26.


The fire happened at about 5:30 am on 9/27/1998, a Sunday morning.  All residents got out safely, including a cat and small dog (rescued by officer Ray Graham) from next door.  The three young men renting next door lost most of their goods (they were uninsured), but two days later one of them left for Puerto Rico to drive relief water trucks for the hurricane victims there, himself just a victim.

There were 45 firefighters from three cities... Webster, Nassau Bay, and League City fighting the fire.  This does not count support from the Webster PD , and even the radio dispatchers who are seldom seen are thanked for their support.  Two firefighters were injured in falls or smoke inhalation.  We received good support from the Webster city personnel as well as the other communities.  Below are some images from the tapes shot by the Webster  FD & PD.






In the images below, note the progression of the fire from the original bedroom to the adjacent bedroom to the right.





Leo.Waltz@prodigy.net

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