A house fire is both terrifying and devastating. Fortunately here in Plano, the Plano Fire-Rescue crews are well equipped to deal with any and all such emergencies. Just yesterday, a crew of 40 brave firefighters battled a house fire, their efforts hampered by unrelenting winds. At the same time, and elsewhere in Plano, a brush fire kept firefighters busy into the night.
Here, we bring you an overview of the house fire, courtesy of the Plano Fire Department, accompanied by a series of images taken by local photographer Justin Allred, who not a firefighter himself, dedicates his spare time to photographing the acts of bravery of our firefighters. “I have always strongly admired that line of work. I take the pictures because I know the firefighters and their families love them. It’s such a selfless job and I feel they deserve more spotlight for the risks they take. These guys risk their lives daily, and most of the time do it without even receiving a thank you for their work. This is my way of thanking them,” explained Justin. You can see more of Justin’s photography at his Facebook Page, OtherRed Photography.
Plano House Fire, Thursday February 18
Thursday’s strong winds hampered the firefighting efforts of Plano Fire-Rescue crews at a house fire located in the 1700 block of Montana Trail. Sustained winds were measured at 25 mph with gusts of 40 mph at the time of the fire.
Plano’s 911 received the call for help at 1:40 p.m. Thursday from a citizen two blocks away from the home who had noticed the smoke. Very soon after that call, a City of Plano Property Standards employee who was in the neighborhood alerted the owner of the home by knocking on the front door. The male resident was able to safely exit the home prior to the firefighters’ arrival.
First arriving fire crews found heavy smoke and fire in the rear of the home with high winds blowing both fire and smoke back into the house. The initial fire and smoke conditions forced firefighters to fight the fire from the outside and once some of the fire was knocked down an attempt to enter the home was made.
Firefighters who tried to enter the home quickly determined an interior fire attack was not feasible due to the amount of fire and the large amount of contents and furnishings in the house. Efforts to extinguish the fire were then made using hand lines and aerial master streams. Extra effort was also made to protect the neighboring homes. After the fire was extinguished, a rotation schedule of fire crews was set to conduct an overnight fire watch.
Forty firefighters were utilized at the fire. There were no injuries. The cause of the fire is undetermined and under investigation.
Congratulations and thank you to the Plano Fire Department and all their firefighters for keeping our city safe.
Photography by Justin Allred, OtherRed Photography.
