Argyle fire chief's house catches fire

When firefighters were called to a home in Argyle this week, they had no idea they would be battling flames at their boss' home.

Argyle fire chief Mac Hohenberger is still coming to terms with the reality of being on the other side as a fire victim. His house caught fire on Tuesday.

“I’ve never been a victim,” Hohenberger said. “I saw it coming from the bedroom area. It came out through the skylight and the window."

The chief quickly went from victim to firefighter.

“I grabbed a hoe and started pulling sheet rock down to see if I could find the fire,” he said. “I did locate it in the attic.”

Hohenberger said he was scheduled to be at an event Tuesday, but decided at the last minute to go home for a change of clothes.

“If I hadn't gotten home when I did, the house would have been a total loss,” he said. “I would have lost my 2 dogs which would have been catastrophic."

A fast response and quick work kept the burn damage to the master bedroom, the bath and a closet. The house sustained smoke damage throughout.

The chief said it's not unusual for people to respond with help and donations for fire victims. Now they are doing the same for him.

“It’s a life changing event,” Hohenberger said. “I lived in this house for 30 years. Over half my life, nothing ever happened. I look at things totally different now because everything we had is gone.”

Hohenberger said he built the house when he was 24 and he will live in it again.

“I actually felt I could leave and come back and everything could be normal,” he said. “Reality did not set in for a long time. You think you're at another call."