As an elderly man slipped into a peaceful sleep, a spark in his attic ignited the insulation. All the while, as the flames consumed his attic, the man slept. Once the first sign of smoke crept into the master bedroom, his alarm went off. He woke immediately and had just enough time to call 9-1-1 and escape from his house.

The Dallas Morning News reports that the house and most of its belongings were lost, but one thing remained intact, a human life. “You can often replace the loss of property, but never the loss of life,” reports The Dallas Morning News.

According to The Dallas Morning News, “Roughly 500 men, women and children will die in home or apartment fires in the United States this year.” Get your smoke alarm installed or inspected today. Call 512-835-2020 to have Ace Fire Equipment install/inspect your fire alarm today.

A massive explosion at Cleburn, Texas, roughly 50 miles southwest of Dallas, was responsible for the death of three people.

The explosion occurred purportedly after a project that was digging in the area struck the gas line buried in the earth. The explosion triggered a widespread fire through the rural community, stretching out to an estimated circumference of 400 to 600 feet.

Eyewitness accounts reported that the explosion itself sounded like a loud thunderclap, which was followed by a sound that was something similar to a tornado. The noise from the incident could be heard several miles away from the site.

Six people were taken by helicopter and ambulance to local hospitals by the Johnson County emergency crews.

An explosion that rocked 211 N. Weaver Street in Gainesville on Monday afternoon destroyed the entire inside of a local eatery.

The restaurant, El Taco Riendo, suffered massive damages from an explosion ruled as an accident by the fire marshal. According to witness reports, when the flames erupted, a microwave was blown out of the back of the building, followed by workers and patrons. A toddler was thrown out of a door by one of the women in the building in an attempt to save the child. Others were seen, scorched from deep burns, scrambling out of the building as quickly as possibly.

As of Tuesday, one person was in serious condition while four others were in critical condition. No one was killed. The injured victims of the blast were taken to southward to Dallas’ Parkland Hospital.

The store was just a few miles from the Oklahoma border, and noted for its friendly, customer-first attitude.

An investigation is still open on exactly what caused the explosion, although many recognized that, beyond the kitchen, there was little else to the building itself.

A man plead guilty to charges of arson last Tuesday in Seguin. The man, 61 years-old, was arrested April 7, 2009 after an outbreak of fires in vacant residences.

Although police were able to identify the man at his first fire, there was not probable cause to make an arrest. Following another fire, this time on the 700 block of West Kingsbury Street, the state fire marshal’s office opened an investigation. The man then set fire to a vacant house in the 400 block of Gonzales Street. Although the arsonist had been indicted by a grand jury, he was able to set yet another fire to an empty home on Austin Street. By this time, he was apprehended after failing to appear at his arraignment.

His sentence included a 10 year prison term. He previously served an almost 20 year term in a state prison for a burglary that culminated him in setting a fire.

For more information on how you can protect your property, contact the Austin fire prevention experts at Ace Fire Equipment 512-835-2020.