2 families displaced after South Austin house fire

A fire in South Austin spread from one home to another, displacing two families.

The Austin Fire Department says improperly discarded ashes from a fireplace are to blame.

What happened?

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Timeline:

On Monday, Jan. 20, around 11:45 a.m., the Austin Fire Department responded to a house fire in the 4300 block of Triboro Trl.

"At approximately 11:45 this morning we started getting multiple calls about the side of a house on fire," says Austin Fire Department Assistant Chief Thayer Smith.

The blaze spread to a second home next door within a matter of minutes.

AFD said crews got in and stopped the fire from spreading any further than the two houses.

"Make sure you have working smoke alarms if there is an incident, you have early detection as you can see within 5 to 6 minutes these houses both had fires through the roof already. These fires spread extremely quickly with the dry conditions and the wind," says Assistant Chief Thayer Smith. 

The fire caused extensive damage to the homes. The two-alarm fire was accidental, according to the fire department.

"Right now, the investigators have determined that there was an improper discarding of fireplace materials. Ashes were put out early this morning then the side of the house caught on fire, so this will be a weather-related incident," says Assistant Chief Thayer Smith.

The fire department says one of the homes may be considered as a total loss.

"We really need everybody to be cautious now in this weather about doing things like that. Make sure those are completely distinguished and don't put anything where it can spread to the house," says Assistant Chief Thayer Smith.

According to AFD, using a metal can with a metal lid works best for discarding ashes.

There were no injuries caused by the fire.

The Source: Information from interviews conducted by FOX 7 Austin's Tan Radford

South Austin