Orange had three major fires Christmas morning, including one that left a man dead in his small house on FM 1130.
Another fire at the Craig Homes, operated by the Orange Housing Authority, damaged three apartments and displaced residents. No one was injured. The third fire was in a vacant house on Missouri Street in the Cove area.
The man who died in the fire was 70-year-old James Wooten. City Fire Marshal John Bilbo said Wooten had a chance to get out of the house, but he and his brother tried to put it out first. The brother and a dog finally went outside, but the victim did not make it out.
Bilbo said people should immediately leave a burning building and wait for firefighters.
The house fire was reported at 1:40 a.m. Tuesday at 6820 FM 1130, across the street from Little Cypress. Bilbo said he is waiting for an autopsy, which might not be performed until next week. Also, testing results on blood will take several weeks.
The Craig Home fire was reported about 10:30 in the morning by someone who saw the smoke. The complex is off Church Street and 18th Street, a block west of Taco Bell on 16th Street.
Bilbo said the cause of the fire is still under investigation.
No one was at home in the unit that caught fire. The fire got into the attic of the three-apartment unit and the other apartments were evacuated. Firefighters had to climb a ladder onto the roof and then cut a hole to reach the blaze. The other two apartments had smoke damage and the occupants had to move out.
The fire on Missouri Street was reported while the fire department was at the apartments. Bilbo said the wood-frame house was vacant and set for demolition.
Wednesday night another house fire was reported at 2605 Clark Lane after a fire started in the kitchen. The home received heavy damage but there were no injuries.
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