Representatives from the Houston Rural Fire Department and Texas County Sheriff’s Department responded at about 10:15 a.m. Friday to a blaze at the home of the Dewayne Shelton family on Highway 17 in Bucyrus.
Firefighters donned gas masks and oxygen tanks and entered the structure in an attempt to contain the flames (that reportedly started in a basement wood furnace), but thick smoke made the going tough by virtually eliminating visibility.
Houston Rural Fire Chief Don Gaston and others eventually climbed onto the roof of the home and chopped a hole with an ax to use a hose from above, but all attempts to slow the fire’s progress failed, and the house was finally destroyed.
“When the smoke is that thick and you can’t see a foot in front of you, it’s pretty hard to get anything done,” Gaston said.
Firefighters, sheriff’s officers, family and friends did manage to remove several large appliances and many other items before the fire took over.
The fire department lost an ax and a fan to the fire during the fight.