A Fort Worth family is starting from scratch after last Friday night's fire tore through their Ellis Road house and torched a vehicle, in what they believe was the result of a stray firework near their garage. Neighbors shared surveillance video with the family that appears to show a small explosive hitting the property, followed by people sprinting away. Everyone inside managed to escape, though one homeowner suffered minor burns.
Fort Worth Fire Department crews were called out just after 9 p.m. last Friday to the house on Ellis Road near East Loop 820, according to Fox 4 News. Firefighters got the flames under control, but the structure and a vehicle took heavy damage, and investigators say the official cause remains under review. The department has not publicly confirmed whether fireworks sparked the blaze.
The homeowners say neighborhood surveillance video shows a firework detonating near their garage pad just before flames erupt, and the footage also shows several people running from the area, the family told The Dallas Express. Dwight Thomas Jr. said watching the clip was gut-wrenching: “My wife’s car blows up and catches on fire, and it just erupts … my heart just dropped.” The family’s 23-year-old son first smelled smoke and raised the alarm, giving everyone time to get out.
For now, the Thomases are staying with friends and relatives while insurance adjusters sort through the damage, and their loved ones say they want whoever is responsible held to account, Fox 4 News reports. Homeowner Felicia Thomas told reporters she worried the house “could have blown up” because it runs on natural gas, and said she is simply grateful her family walked away alive.
Video Appears To Show Firework Igniting Blaze
Neighbors who provided the surveillance clip to reporters say it shows a firework going off near the garage area, followed almost immediately by a burst of flames that spreads to the vehicle and then the home, The Dallas Express reported. Investigators are expected to comb the scene for residue and other physical evidence that could confirm whether fireworks triggered the fire, officials said.
Not The Only Fire This Holiday Week
If investigators ultimately rule fireworks as the cause, the Ellis Road blaze would add to a string of holiday-week fires in Fort Worth. On July 4, a fire on Curzon Avenue was described by relatives as starting after neighbors lit fireworks; that earlier fire destroyed a paid-off home and left a pregnant resident hospitalized, as per Hoodline.
Fireworks Off Limits Inside Fort Worth City Limits
The City of Fort Worth is once again reminding residents that fireworks are illegal within city limits and that possession, sale, or use can carry fines of up to $2,000. Officials say the safest way to celebrate is to stick to permitted, professional shows. The city asks anyone who sees illegal fireworks to report them through the MyFW app, the dedicated fireworks hotline or the online reporting portal, according to the City of Fort Worth.
The Fort Worth Fire Department continues to investigate the Ellis Road fire as the Thomases wait for an official ruling on what started it. In the meantime, the family is focused on the long, unglamorous work of rebuilding after a fire that gutted nearly everything but their lives.
