heights Posted January 3, 2011 Share Posted January 3, 2011 HFD is working a 2-alarm fire at Heights near 12th (getting this from their radio traffic) but I don't know what is on fire or exact address. Anyone know? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Porchman Posted January 3, 2011 Share Posted January 3, 2011 HFD is working a 2-alarm fire at Heights near 12th (getting this from their radio traffic) but I don't know what is on fire or exact address. Anyone know?1135 Heights Bl. 10,000 SF house built in 2006. It has gone 3 alarm. In addtion to its aerial shots, Ch. 13 showed video of the blaze from the traffic camera at the Katy Fwy and Taylor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedScare Posted January 3, 2011 Share Posted January 3, 2011 Wondered what the helicopter over my house was doing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tanith27 Posted January 3, 2011 Share Posted January 3, 2011 Photos:http://www.chron.com/news/photogallery/3alarm_fire_on_Heights_Blvd.htmlAmazing. That was a HUGE home. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sevfiv Posted January 3, 2011 Share Posted January 3, 2011 Wow - here is a picture from streetview while it was under construction: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sevfiv Posted January 3, 2011 Share Posted January 3, 2011 Firefighters are searching through the charred rubble of a Heights home known as "the dollhouse" this morning in hopes they won't find an elderly wheelchair-bound woman who's unaccounted for.More than 100 firefighters battled the 3-alarm blaze that broke out around 4 a.m. at 1135 Heights Boulevard. The fire was tapped out about 5:15 a.m., but firefighters from the Houston Fire Department aren't sure if the woman who owned the house, known around the Heights for her large doll collection, was home.A man who lived in the garage apartment behind the house apparently woke up, saw the flames and tried to get into the main house to see if the woman was inside, but the intense flames forced him back. Assistant Chief David Almaguer said the tenant told fire officials he believed the woman was home.http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/facebook/7363390.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marksmu Posted January 3, 2011 Share Posted January 3, 2011 http://www.chron.com...ok/7363390.htmlThat house had a very impressive Christmas light display....I wonder if that will be found to be the cause? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sevfiv Posted January 3, 2011 Share Posted January 3, 2011 A little more about the house (owned by doll collector Patty Worthington):http://www.jeansteinhardt.com/prworthi.htmhttp://www.jeansteinhardt.com/worthing.htmand a Chronicle article from a couple years ago:http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl//6144906.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heights Posted January 3, 2011 Author Share Posted January 3, 2011 Hopefully they will learn that the occupants were not at home. And without making light of the possible tragedy, I'd like to point out that thanks to our new historic ordinance, the charred remains of the house will sit there like an eyesore until someone can afford to rebuild it exactly like it was before the fire. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
20thStDad Posted January 3, 2011 Share Posted January 3, 2011 We tried to drive by around lunch but it's still blocked off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marksmu Posted January 3, 2011 Share Posted January 3, 2011 Hopefully they will learn that the occupants were not at home. And without making light of the possible tragedy, I'd like to point out that thanks to our new historic ordinance, the charred remains of the house will sit there like an eyesore until someone can afford to rebuild it exactly like it was before the fire.Exactly like it was may not qualify any longer if I remember correctly. I believe it will now have to be constructed according to the scale of the rest of the block taking into consideration other homes on the boulevard. Given that there are other large homes on the boulevard it may be allowed, but there are no guarantees....It is an entirely subjective determination to be allowed or not allowed by a group of appointed people who may or may not have liked that house.I do remember that the ordinance as proposed required the house to be in scale with the rest of the homes....even if you were building the most historic home in the world from 200 year old wood, with real leaded stain glass windows, and no air conditioning, if it was larger than other homes on the block, and out of scale, it could still be denied. There were no objective rules to comply with...it just required approval.Truly a shame to see such a house burn down....I heard from a co-worker that said he heard on the news that the home even had a fire suppression system...if that is true, I would like to know the brand of suppression system because I do not want to purchase that one in the future! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
s3mh Posted January 3, 2011 Share Posted January 3, 2011 Hopefully they will learn that the occupants were not at home. And without making light of the possible tragedy, I'd like to point out that thanks to our new historic ordinance, the charred remains of the house will sit there like an eyesore until someone can afford to rebuild it exactly like it was before the fire.Really, really, really bad taste. Two people may have died a pretty horrible death in that house. The owner was reported to have been home the night before the fire. Now is not the time to go there with the anit-preservation crap.And, as is typical with the anti-preservation crowd, what you say is completely false because the house is not in a historic district. The true colors of the opposition come shining through. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marksmu Posted January 3, 2011 Share Posted January 3, 2011 Really, really, really bad taste. Two people may have died a pretty horrible death in that house. The owner was reported to have been home the night before the fire. Now is not the time to go there with the anit-preservation crap.And, as is typical with the anti-preservation crowd, what you say is completely false because the house is not in a historic district. The true colors of the opposition come shining through.Nice....carefully omit the section that reads "Hopefully they will learn that the occupants were not at home. And without making light of the possible tragedy"All you see is all you want to see. I see no bad taste in any way. With every tragedy or disaster comes the aftermath and the recovery/repair...some people plan for the future....I see no bad taste whatsoever in looking past the current moment to the repercussions of our actions...but I guess that is something not everyone, especially you, can do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SilverJK Posted January 3, 2011 Share Posted January 3, 2011 Really, really, really bad taste. Two people may have died a pretty horrible death in that house. The owner was reported to have been home the night before the fire. Now is not the time to go there with the anit-preservation crap.And, as is typical with the anti-preservation crowd, what you say is completely false because the house is not in a historic district. The true colors of the opposition come shining through.Bad taste begets bad taste... why not just keep your mouth shut?and in continuation of bad taste here is my contribution.From this map here http://www.preservehouston.org/Historic%20Districts%20Pages/Houston%20Heights_East/pages/HoustonHeights_East_jpg.htm on the preservehouston website this house is in a historic district... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sevfiv Posted January 3, 2011 Share Posted January 3, 2011 Guys...Anyhow, not looking so great from the Chron update:Worthington’s ex-husband, David Worthington, 69, of Naples, Fla., said he expects Houston firefighters will find his former wife’s body inside the charred rubble of her home, noting it is unlikely she would be out of town."My wife never traveled without assistance, so it’s highly unlikely that she would be on a trip to Santa Fe or something. It’s not within the realm of reality at all," David Worthington said today. "So I assume that they will uncover her remains in the process they’re going through right now."http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/7363390.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
little frau Posted January 3, 2011 Share Posted January 3, 2011 On the 4 p.m. news, Deborah Wrigley on 13 said that one body had been recovered.She also said there would be a detailed report on the 6 o'clock news. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fringe Posted January 4, 2011 Share Posted January 4, 2011 Truly a shame to see such a house burn down....I heard from a co-worker that said he heard on the news that the home even had a fire suppression system...if that is true, I would like to know the brand of suppression system because I do not want to purchase that one in the future!No way that home had a fire suppression system. You would think it would have, given it's cost. I'm wondering if it even had a working fire/smoke alarm? Looks like it was totally involved before the fire department arrived. Fires usually just don't grow that fast and intense (without help). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jesse Posted January 4, 2011 Share Posted January 4, 2011 No way that home had a fire suppression system. You would think it would have, given it's cost. I'm wondering if it even had a working fire/smoke alarm? Looks like it was totally involved before the fire department arrived. Fires usually just don't grow that fast and intense (without help).Not exactly true. Fires can spread INCREDIBLY fast. Especially if it got ahold of the famous doll collection... talk about instant kindling. "Help" (to me, at least) insinuates arson. I hope this is just a very, very unfortunate accident. It's a terrible loss.Doesn't sound like the FD was called until flames were seen from the street (I think I read a cabbie called it in). As a sidenote, "250 firefighters"?!?!?! My god. That's INSANE. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marksmu Posted January 4, 2011 Share Posted January 4, 2011 Not exactly true. Fires can spread INCREDIBLY fast. Especially if it got ahold of the famous doll collection... talk about instant kindling. "Help" (to me, at least) insinuates arson. I hope this is just a very, very unfortunate accident. It's a terrible loss.Doesn't sound like the FD was called until flames were seen from the street (I think I read a cabbie called it in). As a sidenote, "250 firefighters"?!?!?! My god. That's INSANE.It was a pier and beam house....pier and beam homes burn faster than a traditional slab style home because the air flow from the under the home allows the fire to breathe and not become starved of oxygen. Just like on your charcoal grill...if you starve the air from the bottom it burns much slower....the same principal applies to a real fire in a pier & beam home....except you cant close the louver on the house. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marmer Posted January 4, 2011 Share Posted January 4, 2011 Not exactly true. Fires can spread INCREDIBLY fast. Especially if it got ahold of the famous doll collection... talk about instant kindling. "Help" (to me, at least) insinuates arson. I hope this is just a very, very unfortunate accident. It's a terrible loss. Doesn't sound like the FD was called until flames were seen from the street (I think I read a cabbie called it in). As a sidenote, "250 firefighters"?!?!?! My god. That's INSANE. I would not want to argue with the Fringe about fire details. IRL he has a fire-fighting background. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fringe Posted January 4, 2011 Share Posted January 4, 2011 I agree fires can spread really fast and if it was an old home I could even buy into the pier and beam burning more rapidly but this was a relatively new home that I'm betting was very well insulated. Also, once it got really going I'm sure it spread rapidly but how does a home like this NOT have fire/smoke alarms that should have alerted the occupants long before it grew to an unmanageable size. Something just isn't right. I will be very interested in what the fire investigators find. That was no "normal" house fire. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ricco67 Posted January 4, 2011 Share Posted January 4, 2011 I wouldn't doubt if it was some bad wiring involved that was stressed by any christmas decorations she had.sounds tragic and mundane, but it's all too common with newer home house fires. The bad electrical, that is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heights_yankee Posted January 4, 2011 Share Posted January 4, 2011 I agree fires can spread really fast and if it was an old home I could even buy into the pier and beam burning more rapidly but this was a relatively new home that I'm betting was very well insulated. Also, once it got really going I'm sure it spread rapidly but how does a home like this NOT have fire/smoke alarms that should have alerted the occupants long before it grew to an unmanageable size. Something just isn't right. I will be very interested in what the fire investigators find. That was no "normal" house fire.I hadn't thought of this is in all the chatter but yeah, a house that size with a wheelchair bound occupant and multi-million dollar collectibles should have had an alarm system that would have notified the fire department. I mean, hell, my crappy 1980s alarm system in my 1930s bungalow is equipped to do that... I have been poo-pooing the idea of arson and still doubt it, but that does make it seem like something fishy was up. I am just so heartbroken for her children and the family of her caregiver. My hope is that they were quickly overcome with smoke and didn't linger long. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tiko Posted January 4, 2011 Share Posted January 4, 2011 I hadn't thought of this is in all the chatter but yeah, a house that size with a wheelchair bound occupant and multi-million dollar collectibles should have had an alarm system that would have notified the fire department. I mean, hell, my crappy 1980s alarm system in my 1930s bungalow is equipped to do that... It may have - there are reports that there was an explosion and fireball. If it was some kind of gas situation (and that house had gas lamps, fireplaces, and lots of gas appliances in the very large kitchen), the alarm wouldn't help until ignition. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marksmu Posted January 4, 2011 Share Posted January 4, 2011 I hadn't thought of this is in all the chatter but yeah, a house that size with a wheelchair bound occupant and multi-million dollar collectibles should have had an alarm system that would have notified the fire department. I mean, hell, my crappy 1980s alarm system in my 1930s bungalow is equipped to do that... I have been poo-pooing the idea of arson and still doubt it, but that does make it seem like something fishy was up. I am just so heartbroken for her children and the family of her caregiver. My hope is that they were quickly overcome with smoke and didn't linger long.I have thought of all this as well..You cannot build a home without smoke detectors. It is code. They are required in specific places like hallways, and bedrooms....They are no longer permitted to be operated solely on battery either they must have AC power with battery back up, and every smoke detector has to connect to the next smoke detector so that when one goes off they all do.....This is a 2006 building, so she had lots of smokes, and they all went off when the first one did....even if the power was out (unless she could stand that incessant chirp) I think it is a safe assumption that the smoke detectors were probably working, and that they did indeed go off.One can only speculate on what happened next...There does seem to be something strange going on though. Why only one body so far if two were there? What sparked the blaze? Was there really an explosion? If it were my family, in addition to dealing with the grief I would also immediately ensure that all the finances and resources the obviously wealthy woman had are still in place and that someone has not started a fire to cover up a crime. Time will tell us what happened in this tragedy, but at the moment there are alot of flags up that should be raising suspicion.Caretakers, while fantastic, get to know a tremendous amount of personal details about the person they take care of....especially long term caregivers. We have had multiple caregivers take advantage of my grandmother, and one would have gone much farther with it all if she had not been caught and confronted....elderly are sadly too easy to take advantage of....and it seems the wealthy elderly may be too eager to help out, I know my grandmother is, and often times the combination of wanting to help, being elderly, and having another person around do not always collide well. Hopefully there was no foul play involved here for everyones sake, and hopefully another body will not be found...but at the moment there are questions that need to be answered. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fringe Posted January 4, 2011 Share Posted January 4, 2011 If there indeed was an explosion and it involved gas then that would explain a lot. Even a fire suppression system would not have helped. A house out in Mo City suffered similar consequences just a few years ago. It was gutted but the occupants got out safely. I would have to think this home was well equipped to be fire safe given the condition of the occupant and the fact that it was an expensive new home. If not then shame on whomever built it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
little frau Posted January 5, 2011 Share Posted January 5, 2011 I'm puzzled as to why the second body has not yet been recovered. The first victim was found yesterday afternoon but to my knowledge, her identity has not been released.There are a number of photos on Flickr of the aftermath and what is strange to me is that the lawn and landscaping appear to have been untouched by the flames. I would think the heat would have gotten to the vegetation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heights_yankee Posted January 5, 2011 Share Posted January 5, 2011 I'm puzzled as to why the second body has not yet been recovered. The first victim was found yesterday afternoon but to my knowledge, her identity has not been released.There are a number of photos on Flickr of the aftermath and what is strange to me is that the lawn and landscaping appear to have been untouched by the flames. I would think the heat would have gotten to the vegetation.Yes! I am not usually much of a conspiracy theorist but I went by there today to take a picture (I'm doing a 365 project, where I take pics every day and load them to a calendar. It will be a photo diary of the year and I want to remember this event) and noticed there was a urn on a brick pedestal that had red flowers and was totally green. However, the brick column and flowers are up very close to the fence line, which would not have been right based on my recollection. The house was pretty far back from the fence. Maybe this was freestanding closer to the fence... Who knows, but it sure looked weird to see that pristine plant in the midst of all that destruction and sadness. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jesse Posted January 5, 2011 Share Posted January 5, 2011 Yes! I am not usually much of a conspiracy theorist but I went by there today to take a picture (I'm doing a 365 project, where I take pics every day and load them to a calendar. It will be a photo diary of the year and I want to remember this event) and noticed there was a urn on a brick pedestal that had red flowers and was totally green. However, the brick column and flowers are up very close to the fence line, which would not have been right based on my recollection. The house was pretty far back from the fence. Maybe this was freestanding closer to the fence... Who knows, but it sure looked weird to see that pristine plant in the midst of all that destruction and sadness.Maybe placed there post-fire? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HoustonMidtown Posted January 5, 2011 Share Posted January 5, 2011 The 2nd body has been discovered according to Channel 13 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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