The Flower Mound Fire Department responded to a house fire around 9:30 p.m. Saturday in the 4100 block of Equestrian Court in Bridlewood.
No one was home at the time of the fire. Neighbors reported seeing smoke and called 911, officials said. When fire crews arrived, flames were already coming through the roof of the home.
Firefighters initially attempted to make entry but were forced to shift to a defensive attack after determining the roof was beginning to collapse. The Lewisville Fire Department assisted at the scene.
Two dogs were believed to be inside the home. One dog was deceased, while the second remained unaccounted for as of Sunday, according to Flower Mound Fire Department spokesman Brandon Barth.
The cause of the fire remains undetermined and is under investigation,.
“The area of origin for the investigator is too structurally unstable to dig around,” Barth said.
Based on footage from a Ring camera, officials believe the fire may have started more than two hours before the first 911 call, Barth said. The camera reportedly captured the sound of a smoke detector.
“Unfortunately, that gave the fire way too much of a head start,” he said.
The home was declared a total loss.
