Houston fire leaves family of five homeless

ouston family of five homeless.

Matthew and Melissa Smith and their three children — ages 13, four and 14 months, lost their home and all belongings in the blaze.

Houston Fire Chief Christian Hartley said the department received a call around 2:30 p.m. to respond to a structure fire on Durado Drive near Mile 55 of the Parks Highway.

“Because it was so cold, the smoke was not visible from the highway. It kind of hovered near the ground,” Hartley said. “No one noticed. (Matthew) got home from work and noticed the smoke. It appeared to be a slow-burning smolder. He saw the haze throughout the house in the windows. When he opened the door, everything started burning.”

Hartley said it’s not uncommon for a low-intensity, smoldering fire to suddenly take off when exposed to an oxygen source. He said the wife and children showed up about five minutes later. By the time the first engine was on-scene, Hartley said the 40-by-32-foot structure was about 75 percent engulfed.

Hartley said about two dozen firefighters from Houston, West Lakes and Central Mat-Su departments responded. The last engine cleared the scene approximately 4 1/2 hours later. He said one firefighter did require precautionary medical treatment not related to fighting the blaze. Because of the extent of damage to the home, and the fact that no one was there at the time the blaze started, Hartley said its cause will probably remain unknown.

“It was two days before Thanksgiving and one day before the (homeowner’s) birthday,” Hartley said. He said the family was uninsured and the Red Cross responded to the scene to assist.

A gofundme account has been set up to help get the family back on its feet. The link is https://www.gofundme.com/house-fire-ak-family-5-has-nothing.