Smithwick family loses all in fire Thursday

By Mark Goodson

Highlander Sports Editor

Lue Angell sat under the shade tree in a her flip flops Friday morning, reflecting on 29 years of living in the country on the north shores of Lake Travis.

Angell and her family lost everything they owned Thursday night when their house burned to the ground.

“It started just right outside the door,’’ said Rick Angell, who built everything on site at the 3-acre Lake Lot on Bonnie Lane in Smithwick. “It took no time for the fire to spread.’’

The fire engulfed the main house, a 2,800-square-foot structure, in less than 10 minutes.

No one was injured in the fire. Rick Angell was the only one at the house when it started.

Fire departments from Marble Falls, Spicewood, Granite Shoals, North Lake Travis and Bertram responded.

“It only took four of five minutes for the first truck to get here, but they had only 300 gallons of water,’’ said Marble Falls firefighter George Tennison.

In all, it took 3,000 gallons to get the fire under control, Tennison said.

Firefighters were working to clean up the mess left by the raging fire on Friday.

“What do you do?’’ said William Burleson, one of Lue’s twin sons. “You come out here and do this.’’

Burleson was digging trying to find his personal keys in the area where his room in the house once stood.

“We lost everything,’’ twin James Burleson said. “This place was full of memories. This is where the family always came. We built everything here and now it’s gone. Nothing was insured."