A large fire at an abandoned house left a Laguna Heights family homeless after the flames spread to their home on Wednesday evening.
Neighbors first spotted the massive flames and towering smoke at about 6:30 p.m. at the intersections of Madison Road and Pennsylvania Avenue.
Many of the neighbors said it took firefighters about 20-30 minutes to arrive on scene to the abandoned home.
But the flames grew to such size that by the time fire crews arrived, the fire had begun spreading from the abandoned building to a neighboring home.
Eventually, crews from South Padre Island, Laguna Vista and Los Fresnos arrived to assist the Port Isabel Fire Department put out the flames.
It took crews more than three hours to fully contain and put out the flames, though small hotspots still flared through late Wednesday night.
The family was not home at the time the fire started and spread to their home, and no injuries were reported.
Fire crews and law enforcement also evacuated neighbors because of the heavy smoke from the fire and the risk the flames could spread.
They were allowed to return to their homes just past 10 p.m.
As for the family impacted by the fire, they will spend their first night without a home with relatives.
Investigators have not revealed the cause of the fire.
According to Cameron County constables on the ground, the county fire marshal’s office will lead the investigation.
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