A sleeping Raymondville man escaped from his home before it was destroyed Thursday night by fire.
Leo Ceplina was awakened by his smoke detector at 19704 McColgin Road. When firemen from Raymondville and Houston arrived, black smoke was pouring from the roofline and the fire had already reached the attic.
Ceplina’s son, Guy, was one of 18 to respond to the blaze. Although there was a total loss, he was thankful his father escaped.
“Spend that extra $7 on a spoke detector,” Guy Ceplina said. “It’s very good insurance.”
Ceplina guessed that it could have been an electrical fire, but he said it was nearly impossible to determine.
Ceplina was thankful for Houston’s assistance.
“It’s kind of impressive to see your neighboring community coming over to help you out, then they bring the newest truck they have,” he said. “I really appreciate what they did to help out.”