Bastrop, Tx–Firefighters declined to speculate Saturday on the cause or origin of a fire Friday evening which gutted a house under construction in the heart of the city’s historic residential district in the 1500 block of Church Street.
The two story structure was engulfed in flames by the time he arrived shortly after 8 p.m., said Bastrop Fire Chief Henry Perry. Firefighters were notified of the blaze at 8:01 p.m., he said.
An investigation into what might have sparked the blaze will begin Monday with the aid of officers from the state fire marshal’s office, said Perry in a Saturday interview. After the fire was doused late Friday, the remaining structure was “too fragile to go into and dig out” for clues to what caused the conflagration, Perry said.
The house was going up on a new lot immediately south of the historic Orgain House at 1508 Church St. An existing wood frame structure was moved onto the new lot, and a second story, new porches and other improvements were being added. The building was unoccupied when the fire broke out Friday.