Mansion Under Construction Destroyed

By Six-Alarm Fire

Date of Incident: Thursday, July 11, 2002

Location: 10330 Strait Lane

Response: 24 pieces of heavy firefighting equipment, 96 firefighters

Times: 1^st alarm - 1:05 am; 2^nd alarm – 1:11 a.m.; 3^rd alarm – 1:15 a.m.;

4^th alarm – 1:33 a.m.; 5^th alarm – 1:40 a.m.; 6^th alarm – 3:26 a.m.

The fire was brought under control, or “tapped out” at 9:08 a.m.

Cause: Under investigation. Fire investigators are expected to remain on scene throughout the day.

Injuries: Four: Two firefighters, suffering heat-related problems, were treated at the scene. One firefighter suffered minor burns to the back of his neck from falling hot debris, and was treated at the scene. One firefighter was transported to Baylor Hospital with lacerations received from falling debris.

Damages: The fire was confined to the 43,000 square-foot main house, and the preliminary estimate of damages to that structure is $20 million. It was part of a 75,000 square-foot residential complex that was under construction, and reported to have market value of $44.9 million.

Details: Dallas Fire-Rescue was initially alerted to the fire by construction and security personnel staying at the site. First-arriving firefighters found heavy smoke coming from the main house, and entered the building in an attempt to contain the fire early. However, the flames entered the third story of the home, and spread to the building’s wings, making it necessary to withdraw firefighters from the interior, and fight the fire from outside. With the assistance of the Dallas Police Department’s helicopter, embers were tracked and monitored to insure that flames did not spread to other smaller buildings on the property.

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