{"id":374851,"date":"2025-11-13T01:40:15","date_gmt":"2025-11-13T01:40:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/374851\/"},"modified":"2025-11-13T01:40:15","modified_gmt":"2025-11-13T01:40:15","slug":"houston-family-loses-home-to-fire-caused-by-faulty-wiring","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/374851\/","title":{"rendered":"Houston family loses home to fire caused by faulty wiring"},"content":{"rendered":"

HOUSTON<\/strong> \u2013 A Houston family says their faith is the only thing that survived after a fire destroyed their home of 20 years.<\/p>\n

Investigators determined the cause: faulty electrical wiring\u2014a danger that experts say may be hiding inside thousands of older homes across the city.<\/p>\n

\u201cEverything burned except that cross\u201d<\/b><\/p>\n

When Yoselin Serratos returned to what was left of her home, she noticed one thing standing out from the ashes.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s the first thing I noticed actually when I came here,\u201d Serratos said, holding back tears. \u201cWhen I took pictures, that\u2019s the thing that stood out to me, of how bright it looked even with all this behind it. It just gave me that comfort to know that I know He was there with us the whole time. And even after, like, and even now, I know He\u2019s not gonna leave us alone. He\u2019s protecting us, and He\u2019s watching over us.\u201d<\/p>\n

The gold cross still hangs beside the front door, untouched by the flames. Inside, a framed picture of the Virgin Mary was found with no smoke or burn marks.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s a photo inside that\u2019s untouched, no smoke, no ashes, no fire on it, intact one hundred percent,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

But everything else was gone.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy dad started banging on our door and just screaming that the house was on fire,\u201d Serratos said. \u201cI grabbed both our kids. We tried to run out the front door, but our front door was actually jammed.\u201d<\/p>\n

The family managed to escape through the back door. Investigators later found that the fire started near the porch light, spreading through the attic within seconds.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey tracked down the root of the cause, and they said it was actually our front porch light, where it\u2019s next to our room,\u201d she said. \u201cThat\u2019s the one that caused it. It actually started in our attic and it just caught everything on top on fire.\u201d<\/p>\n

Her father\u2019s quick thinking saved their lives.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf my dad hadn\u2019t gotten up when he did, we\u2019d be planning something totally different right now,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

A common danger in Houston homes<\/b><\/p>\n

Data from the Houston Fire Department shows thousands of structure fires each year, with electrical failures among the top causes. The National Fire Protection Association estimates nearly 33,000 house fires in the U.S. annually involve wiring or lighting systems.<\/p>\n

Across Houston, entire neighborhoods are made up of homes built in the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s \u2014 decades before today\u2019s electrical codes. Many still have cloth wiring, two-prong outlets, or circuits that can\u2019t handle modern appliances.<\/p>\n

Experts say that when insulation around those wires deteriorates, it can spark quickly behind walls, often before smoke alarms go off.<\/p>\n

City programs designed to prevent these fires<\/b><\/p>\n

The City of Houston\u2019s Housing and Community Development Department says it has programs designed to help prevent these kinds of tragedies \u2014 not after they happen, but before.<\/p>\n

\u201cOne of the big things about this department is that we do community outreach and we do community revitalization,\u201d said Cedric Lassane, Assistant Director of the department. \u201cAnd part of that revitalization is one of our programs is a home repair program. Another program is our disaster recovery program.\u201d<\/p>\n

The department uses federal funding to repair or rebuild homes for qualifying residents, often focusing on safety hazards like outdated wiring.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen we go in homes that have cloth wiring, we\u2019re going to rewire the home,\u201d Lassane said. \u201cThat\u2019s going to be something that we\u2019re going to either look at repairing or just tearing the whole structure down and rebuilding a home that\u2019s going to be sustainable.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lassane says the city can invest up to $300,000 per home to make it safe and energy-efficient. Families must apply, meet income requirements, and live within Houston city limits.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s going to be up to three hundred thousand dollars that we will put back into the home,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd several things that we look at \u2014 is it in a floodplain, the condition of the home, is there deferred maintenance items? And then our goal is going to be to provide an efficient, sustainable home back into a neighborhood.\u201d<\/p>\n

These programs aren\u2019t emergency funds or cash assistance. Instead, they focus on prevention \u2014 fixing old homes before problems like wiring failures, foundation cracks, or roof leaks become life-threatening.<\/p>\n

Faith and a new start<\/b><\/p>\n

Yoselin says she never knew programs like this existed. Her family has now applied, hoping to rebuild their home safely through the city\u2019s repair initiative.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe lost everything, but not our faith,\u201d Serratos said. \u201cThat cross, that picture\u2026 they\u2019re proof that He never left us.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Serratos family says they\u2019re also grateful to their neighbors who helped them escape and to those donating clothes and essentials through their online fundraiser.<\/p>\n

They plan to rebuild on the same property \u2014 stronger, safer, and with wiring that no longer puts their lives at risk.<\/p>\n

How to check your home<\/b><\/p>\n

City inspectors and licensed electricians recommend:<\/p>\n