Fire destroys family’s ‘dream home’ near Bullard

CHEROKEE COUNTY, Texas (KLTV) - An East Texas family called it “their dream home,” but a massive fire Wednesday morning destroyed it.

“This is a sad situation for the property owner,” Flint-Gresham Fire Department Assistant Chief Keith Tate said.

Several emergency units responded to the structure fire in Cherokee County near Bullard around 8:45 a.m. in the 5400 block of FM 2493.

According to the owner, Kathy Ramey, the family was at their house next door when the fire started.

“When the homeowner’s daughter came out to go to school this morning, there were flames coming out from the roof,” Tate said.

The building was a house the family had been building for the past five years. Ramey said the family had done most of the work on the house on their own.

They did not have insurance on the home, and Ramey said she and her husband planned on getting insurance next month.

“That was our dream home,” Ramey said.

Ramey said she believes the house was struck by lightning, which sparked the fire.

“When the first unit arrived, the house was fully involved,” Tate said.

Tate said this was not the only fire this morning, they got the call for 6 structure fires within 3 hours.

“The home is obviously a total loss and we’re working with the homeowners for any help that they may need,” Tate said.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Apart from the fire, while a deputy was on the scene, a tree fell on his vehicle. The deputy was not in the vehicle at the time.

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