Cause unknown in blaze at HBay fire chief’s home

OATMEAL — The cause of a fire that destroyed a 19th-century home painstakingly restored by Horseshoe Bay Fire Chief Jim Fiero and his wife remains under investigation, officials said Friday.

Fiero, who has spent his life putting out fires at other people’s homes, was at a meeting when he heard a call on the scanner about a fire on CR 327 and realized that was his address.

The blaze was reported about 11:15 a.m. Thursday. The Bertram Volunteer Fire Department arrived first to find flames engulfing the home.

“It was our retirement — our dream,” the chief’s wife Melissa Fiero said Friday. “We’re just trying to figure out where to go from here.”

The home has been featured on historic restoration and banking/financial websites. The refurbished house was also featured on Home and Garden Television in 2007.

The state Fire Marshal’s Office, the Fiero’s insurance company and the Marble Falls fire marshal are probing the blaze, officials said Friday. No cause has been determined, though the couple said they designed the house to be as fire-resistant as possible.