Total-loss fire highlights staffing concerns in Elgin

KXAN
by: Brianna Hollis
Posted: Jul 16, 2023 / 08:19 PM CDT
Updated: Jul 16, 2023 / 09:39 PM CDT

ELGIN, Texas (KXAN) — A fire that displaced a family of five in Elgin highlights some staffing and procedural concerns regarding fire operations in the city.

The fire happened at the Cooper family’s home early in the morning on July 4. Chief Chris Botello, who was in command on scene, said the firefighters did everything they could, but he “wishes [they] could have done more.”

“We’re not walking away with anything besides our lives,” Deja Cooper said, adding that one firefighter ran into the house to save the family’s puppy when the fire was still raging.

She said her husband woke her up in the middle of the night telling her the house was on fire and that they and their three children needed to get out quickly.

“Looking up at him, and I just see this cloud of smoke,” she said. “Entire back of the house was in flames, and there was so much smoke that it was hurting our eyes.”

The house is gutted. The roof is gone. When you look closely, you can see signs of what it used to look like. A shiny purple bike contrasted against a black, charred porch. Books still tucked away on the shelf, hiding behind burned wooden panels.

“A total loss like this is more common in rural areas where they’re fully dependent on volunteers with an extended response time,” Nicholas Teague, the fire chief and EMS program director for the Texas Public Safety Training Academy in Bastrop, said. He added the emergency services district where the Coopers live — Bastrop-Travis ESD 1 — should have more money allocated towards fire staff.

Chief Botello agreed staffing needs to become more of a priority.

“It’s a catalyst to us moving forward a lot faster with our hiring process,” he said.

Botello also said he’s looking into the dispatch details of the call because he said there have been communication snags recently when people call 911 with Elgin being on the border of Bastrop and Travis Counties.

“These guys that came to our house last night, we know them personally. We see them every day,” Cooper said. “We know they did everything they could when they were here.”

KXAN reached out to Bastrop-Travis ESD board members about the staffing concerns. One deferred us to the chief’s comments, and others have not responded yet. This story will be updated once any other responses are shared.

A Go Fund Me page has been set up for the Cooper family.