A tragic incident unfolded in Leander last Thursday evening when Samuel Tyson, aged 67, was discovered deceased in his home after a small house fire. The Leander Police Department, alongside several local agencies, arrived at the 2236 block of Hilltop Climb Drive around 7 p.m. following a report from an individual concerned about Tyson's wellbeing, having not heard from him for several days.
The original belief that the incident was an explosion was soon dismissed by the Leander authorities. After securing the area and evacuating neighboring homes, the Austin Police Department's Bomb Squad cleared the residence, finding no evidence of such an event. According to a statement obtained by CBS Austin, Lt. Mike Mohler of the LPD clarified that "an explosion did not take place," and the damage was localized to the living room where the fire originated on a couch.
Following a thorough investigation by both the Leander Police Department and Fire Department, it was confirmed the fire was contained to the couch in the living room and had not spread to other parts of Tyson's home. CBS Austin reports that residents, evacuated out of an abundance of caution, were allowed to return to their homes later that evening, around 10:20 p.m. Emilia Caleimontes, a local resident who had been evacuated, told Andrew Freeman from CBS Austin she did not hear an explosion, a detail corroborated by other neighbors.
The identity of the deceased, Samuel Tyson, was later confirmed by the police. The ongoing investigation leans towards the fire being accidental in nature, with no immediate threat to the public at this time. This has provided willing neighbors some measure of relief, though saddened by the unfortunate loss of their neighbor. These preliminary findings were detailed in a report by FOX 7 Austin, as the community awaits the final outcome of this somber occurrence.
