ORANGE, Texas — Officials are indicating that a lightning strike is what likely caused the fire that devastated the home of former National Football League player and Southeast Texas native Earl Thomas.
The fire that destroyed Thomas' house happened on August 11, 2022. His home is located at FM 1130 and Bear Path Drive in Orange.
Firefighters from the Little Cypress Fire Department and Orange County ESD 3 responded to the call that came in regarding the fire around 5:15 p.m. When responding crews arrived at the scene, they noticed heavy smoke and flames coming from a corner of the house.
The smoke was too thick for firefighters to enter the house, so they went into "defensive mode." Chief Matt Manshack said crews were not able to get the fire under control quickly due to the size of Thomas' home.
Orange Fire Department Fire Marshal Randy Ener said responding firefighters briefly spoke to Thomas at the scene, before he got into a car with who officials believe was his mother and drove off.
A warrant was needed to begin the investigation into the fire because officials were not able get in touch with Thomas once he left the scene, according to Orange County Sheriff's Office Detective Colton Havard.
It is unknown if officials have been able to reach Thomas since the fire. The Texas State Fire Marshal's Office has since joined the investigation.
Officials with the Texas State Fire Marshal's Office collected evidence from Thomas' house to take back to their labs for analyzation. They hope it will help them officially determine the cause of the fire.
Orange County Sheriff Jimmy Mooney believes it could take anywhere from six to eight months for them to determine the cause.
One official previously told 12News he did not have any reason to believe the fire was set on purpose. However, the investigation is currently ongoing.
