Gonzales man left homeless by house fire, lucky to be alive

A Gonzales man is fortunate to be alive, but has been left without a home, after a Friday, Feb. 21 structure fire caused heavy smoke and fire damage.

Gonzales Fire Chief Wade Zella said the Gonzales Fire Department responded to a report of a structure fire located at 1916 Saint Louis St. at 8:11 a.m. On arrival, fire crews found the single-story residential dwelling with heavy smoke and fire showing.

“Fire crews made an aggressive interior fire attack to extinguish the fire originating in the bathroom area of the residence,” Zella said in a press release. “The structure received extensive fire and smoke damage throughout. One single occupant of the residence was evaluated by Gonzales County ESD #1 on scene and transported to the hospital for further evaluation.”

The City of Gonzales Fire Marshal’s Office determined that the fire was caused by arcing at the connection of the space heater and extension cord to which it was attached, Zella said.

Mike Hanson, owner of Wolff Pro — a carpentry, painting and home repair company — told the Inquirer that Edwin Novosad was the resident who was “nearly killed” in the house fire and was fortunate to escape with “minor burns.”

He said Novosad, who lived on disability and a fixed income, could not afford insurance on the house, so acting as a volunteer project coordinator, Hanson has set up a GoFundMe to help raise money to pay to fix the home.

“We have him residing in a motel room for the time being, but he would love nothing more to be back in the comfort of his own home,” Hanson said.

Hanson’s company will be demolishing and refurbishing the house as quickly as money can be raised from family, friends and donations. Damages were estimated by Hanson to be around $60,000.

“Starting in bathroom, the bathroom is completely gone,” Hanson said. “Most of the house — the sheet rock’s gonna have to be demoed out from the smell and smoke. The house is probably going to have to be rewired.

“There’s damage to the roof and the wood floors. Most of the kitchen is unusable, but the wood floors can be fixed and re-stained. The front door was kicked in by the firemen to save his life, so the house needs a new front door and on one side of the house, the siding and the window need to be replaced. Most people would call it a total loss, but I can fix that house with our wonderful carpenters from our company.”

Hanson said checks or donations can be dropped off at his office at 725 Tate St., Gonzales, or you can also call his office at 830-672-3089 or his assistant Cammy at 830-263-8210. The GoFundMe page, which is donation protected, can be accessed at https://shorturl.at/qswKb.