A broken water line caused by freezing temperatures during Winter Storm Fern sparked a fire early Tuesday morning, Jan. 27, that destroyed two homes in the Moss Hill area of Liberty County.
According to Liberty County Fire Marshal Nathan Green, the fire began around 6:30 a.m. Tuesday, Jan. 27, in a workroom inside a garage on County Road 2708. Green said an uninsulated water line froze and ruptured, allowing water to come into contact with an electrical panel, which triggered the fire.
The pipes had not been properly insulated or protected against freezing temperatures, causing them to fail during the storm, Green said.
The fire quickly spread from the garage to a nearby mobile home and then to a wood-frame house located approximately one foot away. Green said the close proximity of the structures allowed the flames to spread rapidly.
“Had the mobile home been farther away from the house, it’s likely the house would not have caught fire,” Green said.
Firefighters remained on scene until about 11 a.m. Green said the homeowners, an elderly couple, did not have insurance, and all buildings involved were a total loss.
Firefighters from Liberty County Emergency Services District No. 7 (Hardin Fire and Rescue), Tarkington Volunteer Fire Department, Batson Volunteer Fire Department and Saratoga Volunteer Fire Department responded to the fire.
No injuries were reported.