Blaze destroys home of former fire captain
Sunday was a busy day for Brownsville firefighters, who fought two residential fires at opposite ends of the city, including the home of a retired fire captain.
After battling a mobile home fire in the morning, a call came in just after 4 p.m. reporting that a home at 6363 Tecate Drive was fully engulfed. It later was declared a complete loss.
Retired Brownsville Fire Capt. Alberto Kingsbury and his son, Pierre Kingsbury, who is also a Brownsville firefighter, were inside.
Five fire engines, the heavy rescue truck, two medic trucks and ladder truck 142 responded, Assistant Fire Chief Ramon Muñoz said.
“It was fully ablaze — it was burning,” he said. “The owner believes it was the washer.”
The inside roof of the home collapsed exposing the flames, Fire Chief Lenny Perez said. Both Kingsburys were still inside, attempting to get out of the home.
“One was asleep and the other was in the shower,” Muñoz said. “By the time he (Pierre) came outside of the shower he noticed the fire, and his dad (Alberto) was asleep.”
The elder Kingsbury left the home through the front door, while his son, Pierre, got out through the side of the home by breaking through a wall.
The elder Kingsbury was transported to a local hospital for treatment. His condition was not known as of 7 p.m.
“He’s got heart problems, he started grasping his chest,” Muñoz said. “It was a big shock.”
The call for the mobile home fire came in shortly after 11 a.m. Firefighters were dispatched to 2301 Port Isabel Road, where a mobile home on lot 27 was reported on fire, Muñoz said.
“The white mobile home was fully engulfed,” he said. “The front of the mobile home was burned, the living room area.”
Ivan Hernandez was the sole occupant of the mobile home when he noticed smoke coming from an electrical outlet, Muñoz said.
Hernandez attempted to put out the smoke with water, and “luckily he did not get shocked,” Muñoz said.
The assistant fire chief said that no Christmas tree lights or other electrical items were connected to the outlet.
Brownsville fire inspectors will open an investigation into both fires today, Perez said.
“We will not know until investigators conduct an investigation,” he said of the origins of the two fires. “We will begin to work on that tomorrow morning.”
