Austin governors mansion fire

Perry and his wife were in Stockholm, Sweden, on Sunday as part of a European trip. They are scheduled to return Tuesday. The governor was told about the fire, Black said. The mansion had a fire alarm but no sprinkler system. Black said installation of a fire suppression system was among the renovations that began in October. The large trees surrounding the mansion, which sits on a lot the size of a city block, made it difficult for firefighters to position their equipment, Clopton said.

The governor uses the mansion as a home and for official functions, such as hosting heads of state or dignitaries. Please enter email address to continue. Please enter valid email address to continue. Chrome Safari Continue. Luckily, no one was living there at the time due to a major renovation project.

But the search for the suspect is still unsolved. The fight to save the pillar of Texas history began around 1 a. Crews got the call for a fire near 10th and Lavaca streets. Andy Reardon of the Austin Fire Department. Reardon was among the dozens of firefighters who battled the four-alarm fire.

We just saw a lot of flames, a lot of fire on the front porch area where the front door is," Gall recalled. Puffs of smoke billowed from the building. State officials said damage to the Greek Revival-style mansion — first occupied by Gov. Elisha Marshall Pease — was extensive. The roof buckled because of the fire and the massive amount of water used to extinguish it.

The mansion was left black with heavy burns. Parts of the six foot columns at the front of the home and much of the front wall of the mansion were charred black. In some places the original color of the brick could be seen where white paint had burned off. Perry spokesman Robert Black said much of the wood inside the mansion was longleaf pine that is "completely irreplaceable.

All the historic furnishings and heirlooms had been removed from the mansion for the renovation project. Among the improvement projects were an overhaul of the plumbing, removal of lead paint and asbestos and installation of a fire sprinkler system, among other things.

The mansion was equipped with a fire alarm. A state trooper who was on the mansion's grounds as part of regular security detail heard an alarm go off, then saw flames and called the fire department, said Tela Mange, spokeswoman for the Texas Department of Public Safety. Officials would not comment on how many security officers were present when the fire erupted. They said there is no evidence any direct threat to the governor was intended.

The governor uses the mansion as a home and for official functions, such as hosting heads of state or other dignitaries and for gathering with lawmakers and the news media.