Fire engulfs home south of campus, cause unknown

The cause of a fire that engulfed a duplex on Lubbock Avenue late Monday night has not been determined, and no injuries have been reported as of early Tuesday morning.

Five fire trucks responded to 911 calls around 10:10 p.m., according to Richard Harrison, fire department spokesperson.

The duplex, which shares the addresses of 3190 and 3113 Lubbock Ave., is only occupied on the north side, according to Jim Tate, Fort Worth Battalion Chief. Firefighters and neighbors said they thought no one was home at the time of the blaze, but that has not yet been confirmed.

At one point, firefighters used axes to chop into the attic of the home and try to find the source of the fire.

A TCU student who asked to be identified only as “Olivia” lives directly behind the duplex and called 911 when she saw “huge flames” encompassing the back of the duplex.

“Around 10 o’ clock, I opened my window shutters in my backyard and saw my neighbor’s fence was on fire,” Olivia said. The flames from the duplex almost caught her fence on fire, she said.

Arson investigator Lt. Jerome Gibson said it was too soon to speculate the cause of the fire and would have more information in the coming hours. Tate said it appeared the fire began on the south, vacant side of the duplex.

The duplex sustained “significant” fire damage on the south side and minor smoke damage on the north, Tate said. No surrounding properties reported any damage.

The south side of the home had a “For Rent” sign in the front yard and had been vacant for a few months, according to Courtney Ray, who lives in the neighborhood.

As of 11:30 p.m., all units were still on scene. Check back with TCU360 for more updates as information becomes available.