LACY LAKEVIEW, Texas — Editor's Note: The attached video aired on May 20.
An investigation into a May 19 incident that caused a Lacy Lakeview family's home to catch fire has been concluded by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ).
According to the report, the Lacy Lakeview Fire Department was found in violation of a TCEQ rule regarding authorization. Specifically, the fire department failed to comply with rules in Title 30 of the Texas Administrative Code (TAC) 111.201 by "not meeting an exception as provided in 30 TAC 111.205-111.215."
What the rule outlines can be found below.
"30 TAC 111.205(a) states that outdoor burning is authorized for training fire-fighting personnel when requested in writing and authorized by the local air pollution control agency or the appropriate commission regional office."
Lacy Lakeview May 2024 incident photos
John May, one of the residents that was present at his home at the time of the fire, said the neighborhood was given a week's notice of the training by the City and Fire Department with flyers.
"I even told my wife that this is not going to work, but they reassured us that everything was going to work out and 'they've done this before' and stuff like that," said May to 6 News after the incident.
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As the fire spread, a police officer in the area ushered May and his wife out of their home. May said they contacted their insurance company the day after the fire and the City sent out an inspector to give them an estimate of the damages.
The TCEQ report noted that "unauthorized materials" were found during the investigation in a burn pile, including "assorted metals, paint cans, carpet, vehicle rims, and household appliances." In addition to the fire department holding the live training exercise without proper authorization and compliance to the exception, a "Notice of Violation" was recommended.
The burn had been extinguished prior to the investigation and the report said the "violation is resolved."
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