The fire broke out in an abandoned home that is attached to two others in the 1500 block of Center Avenue in Harvey. Because of that, there was significant damage sustained by the adjacent structure, and there are at least 11 residents that have been displaced as a result of the blaze.
According to fire officials, the first 911 call came in just after 11:30 a.m. on the second story of what was an abandoned townhome that is attached to two others. With the fire department just up the street, first responders were there almost immediately, but were greeted by heavy smoke and fire. At one point, 40 to 50 firefighters from 15 neighboring communities were on scene attempting to contain it. The fire took three hours to strike.
The fire chief here in Harvey said earlier conditions inside what was previously an abandoned house were simply too dangerous for investigators to go inside Sunday after the fire was put out.
Deja Burnette is a member of the at least six families who, until Sunday, lived next door with her 9-year-old daughter and boyfriend. She said while the house next door was abandoned, it was often inhabited by squatters.
"It's people who come around there. I don't know who all be in there, but I know it's abandoned so anybody can go in there," said Deja Burnette, who was displaced by the fire. "It's not boarded up, it's not nothing. It's just free."
Also next door were Margaret Shelton's son, her pregnant daughter and granddaughter. The roof collapsed onto their unit, destroying everything.
"I am so thankful they spent the night at my house. They was at my house for the whole weekend and they was just on their way back home," Shelton said. "They weren't home when it started. They were leaving my house, but they lost everything... I guess the fire kept sparking back up, but their living room was on fire. When I talked to the deputy chief, he said it kind of shot down from the first unit and it just shot down real fast and they weren't able to control it."
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According to neighbors, an older woman who lives in one of the structures was taken to the hospital after suffering an asthma attack while trying to get out of the home, but she is expected to be okay.
Representatives from the Red Cross arrived Sunday afternoon to see how they could help the displaced.
The fire chief said his investigators will return Monday in the hopes of getting in to determine what exactly led to the fire.