A couple was displaced from their home in the 600 block of West Cabot Drive after a fire damaged the laundry/storage area of the home.
The couple was asleep when the wife described an explosion that woke her up. There was nothing inside the home but the resident did go outside and see smoke and flames from the east side of her home. Her husband used a green hose to try and contain the flames until the fire department arrived.
Multiple neighbors also called 9-1-1 reporting smoke and flames from the house after hearing an explosion. The first Tucson Fire engine company arrived on scene and pulled a hose line to the exterior of the house to begin extinguishing the fire.
The area on fire was on the side of the home that was being used for storage and also had the water heater, washer and dryer, and a freezer along with other appliances and tools. Additional personnel on scene did a quick search of the home to ensure all occupants were out and safe, which they were.
The crews on scene also controlled the gas and electric utilities as a standard operating procedure for safety purposes. The engine crew was able to contain the fire to the exterior storage area before the flames got inside the house.
Nine units and twenty-three firefighters responded to the scene and controlled the fire nine minutes after arriving. Although the damage was confined to the exterior, Building Safety determined the residents wouldn’t be able to stay in the home due to issues with the utilities.
The residents, a male and female both in their 50’s, were going to stay with their daughter and didn’t require Red Cross assistance.
Investigators were on scene but still determining the cause and specific origin of the fire.