Firefighter injured in Wednesday night house fire, authorities note trend with recent blazes

Published 11:26 am Thursday, June 22, 2023

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A firefighter is recovering after he was injured in a Wednesday night fire at a vacant house.

Port Arthur Fire Chief Greg Benson said the firefighter was taken to a nearby hospital and has since been released. The nature of his injury was not disclosed.

The department received the call at 11:08 p.m. regarding a blaze in the 1300 block of 8th Street.

The house was marked with red numbers, meaning it had been tagged for demolition. (Courtesy photo)

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The house was vacant and was on the city’s demolition list. There were no utilities connected to the structure, Benson said.

Firefighters “initiated a defensive attack due to the volume of the fire when they arrived on scene,” Benson said. “A house nearby suffered some damage, but it could have been much worse had they not taken the progressive actions.”

Benson said the cause of the fire is under investigation.

This is the third house tagged for demolition in Port Arthur to be demolished by fire in the last month. In late May, a house on 5th Street that also had no utilities connected was destroyed in a fire.

In early June, a house in the 2600 block of 62nd Street was also demolished.

In the latter case, a witness reported seeing someone fleeing from the scene after potentially starting the fire.