LUBBOCK, TX (KCBD) -
Volunteer firefighters from Shallowater and Carlisle struggled for an hour and a half Thursday morning to put out a fire northwest of Lubbock.
It took so long, officials say, because firefighters had difficulties finding water in the secluded community and had to call in a tanker truck. The fire was on the 8600 block of County Road 6440. Smoke could be seen miles away on the KCBD NewsChannel 11 tower cam.
Carlos Juarez and Mirsha Fuentas came home from work to find their two-year-old's toys melted and their home completely destroyed. Among the few items saved was a vial of holy water that somehow survived the blaze - a sign of hope.
"You just thank God that nobody was home at the time of the fire," said Juarez.
First responders say next-door neighbor Jose Gomez tried everything he could to save the home.
"By the time I went back there, the whole wall was gone," Gomez said.
The initial investigation suggests that a recently installed stove may have triggered the fire.
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