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DALLAS MORNING NEWS
C.R. Rogers, Jr.
E.L. Metters
August 22, 1981
Investigators sift ashes
Officials seek cause of blaze at Ray Hunt house
By Christi Harlan Staff Writer of The News Fire investigators were poking through rubble Friday afternoon searching for the cause of an early-morning fire that killed two firefighters and destroyed the newly constructed home of developer Ray Hunt, fire officials said. Fire Capt. W. A. Richardson said the fire, which took 45 firefighters more than two hours to extinguish, probably started accidentally. An official determination will be made early next week, he said. Firefighters Charles Robert Rogers Jr., 45, and Edward Lynn Metters, 32, died inside the unoccupied house at 5924 Twin Coves in Far North Dallas after a portion of the roof collapsed and blocked the route by which they had entered, fire officials said. The 3-alarm blaze caused an estimated $750,000 damage to the 2-story, 10,000 square-foot yellow brick house near the intersection of Preston and Arapaho roads. The fire probably will be the most expensive residential blaze in Dallas history, fire officials said. Hunt directs Hunt Oil Co. and Woodbine Development Corp., which developed the Hyatt Regency Hotel. Hunt and his family were planning to complete their move into the home this weekend, said George Cunyus, senior vice president and secretary of Hunt Oil Co. "We’re in a state of shock. Our concern today is with the two men who were lost and their families," Cunyus said. Rogers, a 10-year veteran of the department, and Metters, a 7-year veteran, were among the first firefighters to arrive after the blaze was reported at 4:07 a.m. by a neighborhood watch group alerted by an alarm system in the house, officials said. The two firefighters apparently were searching for occupants in the partially furnished house, officials said. The bodies of the two men were found near a picture window in the dining area, where they apparently were attempting to escape, Richardson said. The window, made of double-paned tempered glass, was unbreakable, department spokesmen said. Fire Chief Dodd Miller said he did not know whether the two men were cut off from their entryway by rubble from the collapsed roof or by a "backdraft," a burst of fire caused when flammable gases in the smoke ignite. Although the two men were burned, autopsies by the Dallas County medical examiner’s staff revealed the men died of smoke inhalation, a field agent said. The two firefighters were among 45 who responded to the 3-alarm blaze, Fire Department spokeswoman Vickie Robinson said. The house was engulfed in flames when firefighters arrived after the first alarm, she said. The fire was extinguished at 6:18 a.m., Ms. Robinson said. Rogers and Metters were the first on-duty Dallas Firefighters killed since December 23, 1975, when a fire on the 14th floor of the Athena condominiums at 6335 W. Northwest Highway killed Fire Capt. Ralph T. Lack and firefighter Riley Hurst. They died of smoke inhalation while on a door-to-door search for trapped occupants. Since 1902, 45 Dallas firefighters have died in the line of duty, fire department spokesman Bill Jernigan said. Metters is survived by his wife, Karen, and four children. Rogers is survived by his wife, Linda, and two children.
THE DALLAS MORNING NEWS
AUGUST 22, 1981 Firefighters praise fallen colleagues
By Joann Schulte
Staff Writer of The News
If there had been any escape from the blazing Far North Dallas home of
Dallas oilman Ray Hunt, Dallas firefighters Ed Metters and Charlie
Rogers would have found it.
"They were absolute pros and if there had been any way out, any way at
all, those two guys would have found it," said Dallas Fire Capt.
Richard Beebe, commander for the 24-hour shift Metters and Rogers
worked.
Metters, 32, and Rogers, 36, died early Friday when the roof of the
then unoccupied Hunt house collapsed on them as they tried to break
out of the dining room while flames shot up around them.
The flag at Station No. 56 at Belt Line and Hillcrest Road was a
half-mast Friday while the firefighters reminisced about their
co-workers.
"They were the cream of the crop and such good men. They were
excellent firefighters who always wanted to be where things were
happening," Capt. Doug May said.
Most of the seven years Metters spent as a Dallas firefighter were at
the Far North Dallas station, Beebe said.
Rogers who had been with the department 10 years, transferred in march
to the Far North Dallas station from Station No. 15 to Oak Cliff.
Both firefighters had part-time jobs to help pay the bills, their
co-workers said. Metters installed garage doors for Sears, Roebuck and
Co. and Rogers did roofing work on weekends.
Both men were driver-engineers, a rank just below lieutenant. "That’s
an indication they’ve been in for quite a while and were good seasoned
men," Beebe said.
In his off hours, Metters rode his motorcycle and spent time with his
wife, Karen, and their three pre-school children, co-workers said.
Rogers, originally from California, also liked to ride his motorcycle.
He is survived by his wife, Linda, and a grown son and daughter.
Dallas firefighters plan to honor their two comrades in a traditional
way, May said.
"It’s traditional to have somebody on watch at the funeral home until
the burials. I’m sure we’ll do that," May said.
Each firefighter’s family will each receive $76,250 in death benefits
from state and federal pension plans and the Dallas Professional
Firefighters Association.
Funeral arrangements are pending. DALLAS MORNING NEWS AUGUST 23, 1981 METTERS Edward Lynn. Survived by wife, Karen Metters; children, Jodi, Carlinda, Scott and Wendi; parents, Edward W. and Neva Metters; sister, Sheryl Recer; nephew, Derek Recer. Services 10 a.m. Monday First United Methodist Church of Richardson, Rev. John Ogden officiating. In lieu of usual remembrances, memorials may be made to: Lupus Association of America, Dallas Chapter, 2900 Sidney, Mesquite, Texas 75150. RESTLAND Greenville Ave at Restland Rd 238-7111 DALLAS MORNING NEWS AUGUST 23, 1981 ROGERS Charles Robert, Jr. Survived by wife, Linda Rogers, Dallas; children, Larry and Teresa, Dallas; parents, Charles Robert Rogers, Sr., VA., Hazel P. Morgan, N.M.; sister, Sharon D. Rogers, N.M.; niece, Shandra Parks, N.M. Services 2 p.m. Monday Cockrell Hill Baptist Church, 1128 Cockrell Hill Rd. Rev. Sonny Conaster officiating. Interment Laurel Land Memorial Park. LAURELLAND S. Thornton at Laurel Land Rd. 371-1336
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