Northwest Austin residence being deemed uninhabitable after late Thursday morning fire

A residence in northwest Austin has been deemed uninhabitable after being heavily damaged in a fire late Thursday morning.

The Austin Fire Department was dispatched to a reported house fire that was fully involved at a residence in the 1600 block of 4th Avenue Northwest at approximately 10:51 a.m. Thursday morning.  Fire Chief Jim McCoy stated in a report that crews arrived to find fire coming out of the front two windows of the two-story home, and he added that the adult occupant of the residence, along with a small child were able to escape the home’s second story by climbing down the chimney.

Chief McCoy stated that the initial crew on the scene was able to knock the fire down from the exterior, and when more firefighters arrived, crews were sent to the interior of the residence to extinguish any remaining fire, including the second story.  Austin Utilities were called to the scene to disconnect power and to shut the gas off going to the residence, and the Austin Police Department also responded to the scene, along with Fire Departments from Mapleview and Brownsdale, who assisted the Austin Fire Department in battling the blaze.

The State Fire Marshal determined that a burner was accidentally turned on, igniting items left on the stove top as the cause of the fire, which then spread throughout the house.  Chief McCoy stated that the house cannot be occupied, and he added that no damage estimate is available at this time.  The Red Cross and family members are assisting the occupants of the home.