‘We wouldn’t be here today’: North Texas family escapes fire, suspects power line as cause
A North Texas family is trying to get back on their feet after their house was destroyed by a fire they believe was caused by a power line.
Zack and Kelsey Towne’s home in the 7100 block of Maple Park Drive in Richland Hills burned down after catching fire in the early morning of Jan. 8.
“We definitely lost pretty much everything,” Zack Towne told the Star-Telegram. One of the two cars his family owned was also destroyed by the fire.
The only belongings the Towne family were able to save were items they had in the garage.
Zack, his wife Kelsey, and 1-year-old son Milo were sleeping when their dog anxiously jumped on their bed the night of the fire. Zack assumed his dog, Daisy, was scared because it had been raining that night.
He says if it weren’t for Daisy, he wouldn’t have noticed the fire that engulfed his kitchen.
Zack rushed his family and their two dogs out of the house, and at that point, the fire spread to the living room. He went across the street to ask a neighbor for help.
“If I wouldn’t have woken up when I did, I wouldn’t doubt it that we wouldn’t be here today. Pretty surreal,” Zack said.
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None of the family members were injured, but now they face the financial hardships that come with the damage caused by the fire.
“It’s been rough, but we’re hanging in there,” Zack said.
To add to the loss of his home, Zack had just lost his job of five years in early December, about a month before the fire.
“It’s definitely been a struggle for sure,” he said. He was able to land a new job, but is still experiencing financial issues.
His cousin Carmen Lyles organized a GoFundMe to help the Towne family. The couple also need help with their little one, as he needs clothes, diapers, baby bottles and formula, Lyles said in the GoFundMe description. Of a $20,000 goal, $7,560 has been raised.
According to Zack, a power line was arcing from the transformer to the breaker box of his home, shortly before the fire. He had consulted electric company Oncor seven months prior when he noticed a power line was down and a pole was leaning, with the line almost touching the ground of his back yard.
His neighbors have also experienced house fires, one of which a neighbor said was due to aluminum wire causing a trip, according to Zack.
Richland Hills spokesperson Sheena McEachran told the Star-Telegram that the fire marshal is still investigating the incident and a cause has not been officially determined.
“We have been in contact with the tenant of this property and recognize the hardships and challenges they are facing from this event. Our initial review has revealed that without the knowledge of Oncor, there was an installation of potentially metallic material between the back patio and the service line — the line that delivers power from the pole to an individual house,” said Oncor spokesperson Kerri Dunn in a statement.
Oncor specified to the Towne family that an overhead service mast believed to be installed by the owner of the home did not have the proper clearance and did not meet the requirements of all applicable codes and local ordinances, the company said.
Oncor said that its review of the fire and the impact of the “unauthorized installation” is ongoing.
