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Fire Heavily Damages One of City's Original Homes
By Katie Chancellor & Rachel Danley

On Thursday, October 6, 2011 Pat Hartley and her mother were driving to Arizona on their way to see a dying relative. Pat had only left her Garden Ridge home a few hours earlier that day when she received one of the worst phone calls any of us can imagine. When she answered, it was Garden Ridge Police Chief Donna O’Conner on the line. “Pat,” Chief O’Conner said in a somber tone, “you need to come back, your home is on fire.”

At around 5:30 that afternoon a neighbor behind the Hartley home smelled smoke in the area. Concerned with all the recent wild fires, the resident called the Garden Ridge Police Department and reported the smell of smoke. Soon after, firefighters responded to 9451 Cinchona Trail to flames shooting out the upstairs windows. By 6:30pm, smoke could be seen billowing from the city for miles. “Bracken responded first; we requested Schertz FD and Selma FD for assistance before we made location due to the amount of smoke we could see while we were en route to the fire,” said Bracken Assistant Chief Bill Anz.

In a unique configuration, the 4,200 square foot home had its kitchen located on the second floor. According to Ms. Hartley the source of the fire was electrical wiring behind the stove. “The house was one of the very first built in the Garden Ridge community,” says Hartley. “It was built in 1969; I was told after the fire that in houses built between 1965 1985 it was common for builders to use an aluminum 2-20 electrical wiring for stoves. This wiring is no longer used in modern home building due to the risk of fires.”

Chief Anz says, “The 'Official' fire cause is listed as 'undetermined' due to a lack of indisputable proof of cause. However, the area of origin for this fire was where the oven was located which Ms. Hartley stated hadn't been used for approximately two weeks. The oven did have a clock that would constantly draw electricity though. The insurance company's investigator and myself independently came to the conclusion that the most likely cause of the fire was resistive heating due to dissimilar metals used in the oven's electrical receptacle/outlet.”

Anz continues, “This house was built in the late '60s ('68 to '69 I believe) using aluminum wiring for the larger electrical circuits, such as the A/C, oven, dryer, etc. Aluminum wiring expands and contracts at different rates compared to copper wire and the brass connectors used in the receptacles/outlets. Over time that expansion and contracting [of the aluminum wiring] causes the connections to loosen resulting in a high resistance connection which causes even more heating. Given enough heating over enough time this can result in a fire. Which is what we believe happened in this case. The fire then likely traveled up the exterior wall to the attic space which allowed it to spread across the attic quickly as well as growing inside the house.”

Hartley had lived in the home for the last twelve years. It was originally built by her parents, Jack & Enid Hartley. “We had wonderful memories here.” Pat recalls, “The two story stone fireplace was one of my favorite features of this home, it was just beautiful.” Also destroyed in the fire were several string instruments that Pat was in the process of restoring, which has been a hobby of hers for many years. “There are just so many things that are irreplaceable,” says Hartley. “Fortunately no one was hurt in the fire.” Even the family Dachshund, who at first was feared lost in the blaze, was found the next day unharmed on the front balcony.

“My family and I have always loved living in Garden Ridge.” Says Hartley, “We are so grateful for all the community support and the excellent services we have received from the city and the fire departments that responded. I would suggest to the community to have their home’s wiring inspected and it’s a good idea to take pictures (and save them off-site) of your home’s contents in case of a fire.” Anz agrees saying, “For homes built from 1965 to the mid to late '70s I would recommend having an electrical contractor who's experienced in aluminum wiring repair/ abatement survey the electrical system.”

“We are planning on rebuilding,” says Hartley. “Our insurance company, USAA, has been great to work with.” Hartley’s son, Will, who for a time during his childhood lived at the Garden Ridge home and is now a graduate student at Notre Dame, is slated to be the architect for the rebuilding process. This thought, in the midst of a tragedy, warms the heart of a proud mother.

An account has been opened at the American Bank of Texas, NA for donations to the Hartley family by members of the Garden Ridge Community.

If you would like to, please stop by any Branch and ask to make a donation to the “Hartley Home Fund.” You can also go online to HartleyHomeFund.org

For more information about how to protect your home and to gather more information on wiring hazards, please go to GardenRidgeMagazine.com and click on the Hartley online article.