A fireman was injured and a family of five was without a place to stay Sunday after an afternoon fire in the 5900 block of Pleasant Run Road, officials said.
Three boys, their mother and their grandmother -- whose names were not released -- had to stay with a relative in Dallas after the blaze in central Colleyville, which was caused by children playing with matches, Colleyville Assistant Fire Chief Jeff Jones said.
Mark Cantrell, 33, a Colleyville firefighter with three years of experience, suffered a twisted left knee and was treated and released from Harris Methodist H.E.B. hospital, Jones said.
The family will have a hard time facing this difficulty, Jones added.
"This is a pretty debilitating loss because of their modest home and very, very limited income," Jones said. "This is a family our fire department had adopted for Christmas and delivered toys to the young boys last year."
Members of the family could not be found to comment Sunday night. Scott St. Claire, a neighbor, said the three boys in the family range in age from 2 to 7.
Jones said the home sustained an estimated $40,000 in damage. There was an additional $25,000 damage to the contents of the home, he said.
Authorities blocked off part of Pleasant Run Road for about an hour and a half while the fire was being contained, neighbor James Hampton said.
"It was a really intense fire," Hampton said. "There was flame -- a deep orangish red -- coming from the back southwest corner of the house."
An estimated 14 firefighters arrived about 3:30 p.m. Sunday to find the back bedroom consumed in flame, Jones said. They remained there until about 5 p.m.
The American Red Cross went to the scene, but the family decided to stay with the relative in Dallas, Jones said.
St. Claire's 7-year-old son Austin is a friend of one of the boys. St. Claire said Austin will donate shirts and jeans to his friend. Both boys attend Colleyville Elementary School, St. Claire said.
"We will have him come over and try on some of this stuff. Most of his stuff is probably gone," he said. "We didn't see the fire, but we saw the damage to the back part of the house, and it's not livable."
Anyone wishing to help the family should call the Tarrant County Red Cross at (817) 335-9137, Jones said.
