September 29, 2015 - FM 711 was the scene of a house fire to which the Center Fire Department and West Shelby Volunteer Fire Department responded on Friday, September 25, 2015 at 10:15pm.
As firemen were en-route, Shelby County Sheriff's Deputy Adam Renfro traveled to the scene to see if anyone on the property located at 6095 FM 711 was in need of assistance. The homeowner and only occupant of the residence at that time, Sheila Chandler, was outside of the log house when Deputy Renfro arrived. To mark the location of the house, which was fully engulfed in flames, Deputy Renfro indicated the location with his patrol vehicle for arriving firemen to see the driveway into the property. Deputy Cody Muse arrived at the scene shortly thereafter.
A shed near the residence housed jet skis, and immediately after the arrival of firemen, the skis fuel tanks ignited and caused a flurry of flame to emit from the building. Firemen from both departments split their attention to the house and the shed with groups of firemen working on both buildings.
The firemen were very wary of power lines leading to the home and trees around the residence as many of them had caught on fire and were at risk of collapsing. The fire of the shed was first extinguished and the rich wood of the house continued to burn for several hours before the majority of flames were put out. The firemen left the scene at 1am.
During the time the firemen were fighting the blaze, a Center fireman collapsed and was transported by ACE EMS to Nacogdoches Medical Center - Center Emergency Department. It was suspected at the scene he had become dehydrated due to the excessive heat. Following treatment at the hospital, the fireman was returned to the scene to pick up his vehicle.
Reports by firemen, and family members at the scene, were that Chandler had been sleeping on a couch in the house when she awoke to find smoke inside the residence, and she could see flames emitting from behind a light fixture. Chandler broke a window to escape from the danger of the fire. Six weeks previous to the fire, she sold her home in Center to move into the log house which had been in her family for many years.
The house was a total loss and a specific cause has not been determined at this time. See related information by clicking here
