Neighbors try to extinguish a fire that started in a boat parked at firefighter Matt Owens’ home on Cedar Street in Buda. (Photo by Debbie Owens)
by JEN BIUNDO
Investigators with the Buda Fire Department say they haven’t yet determined the cause of a blaze that destroyed a boat and damaged a house on the 200 block of North Cedar Street in downtown Buda early last Thursday morning.
Buda Fire Marshal Mike Duffy said that the electric system or battery on the boat might have triggered the fire, though arson remains a possibility.
“There wasn’t anything there that really points to whether it was intentionally set or accidental,” Duffy said. “It may end up that at some point in time we’ll get additional information.”
Matt Owens, a professional firefighter with the Pflugerville Fire Department and a volunteer with the Buda Fire Department, had been on shift for 16 hours at his Pflugerville job when the blaze started. His sister was asleep inside the house at the time.
The fire was discovered at about 1:45 a.m. June 24, when a neighbor across the street went into the front yard to let her dog out. Firefighters were on the scene in three minutes and quickly extinguished the flames. There were no injuries.
The fire started in the boat, which was parked under the carport, Duffy said. The flames jumped into the attic space above the carport, which was connected to the house. Though the blaze didn’t travel to the main portion of the house, the roof and sheetrock had smoke and water damage.
The boat, which was fully paid off and valued at about $8,000, was a complete loss, Duffy said. Both the boat and the home, appraised at about $80,000, were insured.
Owens said that his sister called him while he was on shift to tell him that the boat was on fire and spreading to the house.
Owens was scheduled to sign the closing papers to purchase the house from his grandmother on Thursday morning, just hours after the fire. He’s not yet sure how extensively his new house was damaged.
“I don’t have a number, but it was pretty much contained to the carport, other than smoke damage and a little bit of water damage,” Owens said.
The Kyle area has seen a string of random arson blazes in some lower-income neighborhoods east of IH-35, primarily set by thrill-seeking teenagers in abandoned trailers or vehicles, though Buda hasn’t experienced similar crimes. Owens says that he can’t speculate on whether the fire was deliberately set or accidental.
As a professional firefighter, Owens said that he never expected his own home to catch fire.
“It’s not really supposed to happen that way,” Owens said.
The investigation remains open.
