Goodbye to the Burnt Out Hosue!

The house in the lot behind ours caught on fire 11 months before we moved in.  It was being rented by a family at the time who didn't have smoke detectors.  By the time they realized the house was on fire it was too wild for them to put out alone.  Neighbors fought the fire with garden hoses for 20 minutes before the Aubrey Fire Department showed up.  When it was over, almost everything in the house was destroyed due to smoke or water damage.  The family moved out and the owners abandoned the property.  One rumor was that the city was trying to get in touch with the owners so they could condemn the property.  Another rumor was that there was a sale pending. 

Over the next 13 months, the roof caved in, vagabonds took up temporary residence, and neighbors pilfered items that were semi-usable.  Even David took the fireplace grate one night.  The 6 foot deep pool became a pond for frogs.  One was so big, my neighbor O.B. Murphy said it was big enough to eat!  A City Council member told us that Krugerville didn't even have a city ordinance to deal with something like this.  The house sat vacant for 2 years.

When they finally leveled it, everyone had to come out and look.  Dust flew everywhere.  We could see the backhoe smashing what was left of the furniture inside.  They even filled in the pool and tore up the fence.  We are all hoping that they will make this lot a city park.  But most likely there will be another home built within a year.

The view from my patio.

Taken right before the crane came through the roof.

Starting with the garage.

Working into the kitchen.

Front wall in down.

Bye bye Living Room!

No more Foyer.

Only the chimney.

Almost level.

Pile of rubble.

Flattened house.

Somehow the Basketball goal and window survived.

The $30,000 pool.

Crepe Myrtle covered in a climbing vine.  We will have to cut this down in the winter to save our fence.

Two trellises remain.

Roses that David's mom wants to steal.

More roses.

No more chain link fence.

New patio view.