Late night blaze, Celina Record

Late-night blaze near downtown Celina consumes structures Lisa Ferguson, lferguson@starlocalmedia.com May 3, 2016 L The Celina Fire Department responded to a structure fire at around 10 p.m. Monday beside a home in the 200 block of West Maple Street. According to fire officials, firefighters upon arrival at the scene discovered a carport, travel trailer and an outbuilding engulfed in flames. After calling for backup from the Prosper and Frisco fire departments, Celina firefighters began working to suppress the fire. Together, the departments were able to keep the fire from spreading to other homes and buildings in the area and declared the blaze under control just before 11 p.m. A bystander, who reportedly experienced smoke inhalation, refused to be transported to a hospital. No other injuries were reported. The cause of the fire is being investigated by the Celina Fire Marshal’s office. Early Tuesday morning, Rudy Dimas stood in the yard of the home where he has lived for a quarter-century and assessed the damage. “We don’t know which way to turn right now. We’re trying to grasp it all still,” he said. The remains of what had been a 30-foot-by-30-foot detached wooden garage packed with many of his family’s possessions as well as tools, equipment and chemicals that he used for his pool-cleaning business continued to smolder. The building is where for years Dimas hosted a religious-based youth outreach program called Friendship Church. He said his brother had been living in a recreational vehicle behind the garage and was using a small chimenea, an outdoor fireplace, before the blaze started. “Before we knew it, it was out of hand,” Dimas said, adding that he initially attempted to douse the flames with a garden hose.