Thursday, March 27, 2025
One person was found dead in a building that caught fire on the 3300 block of South State Highway 36 on Monday, according to the Gatesville Police Department and Gatesville Volunteer Fire Department.
Gatesville firefighters and police responded to the incident around 8:17 a.m. on Feb. 10. The building that caught fire belonged to a local business, Coryell County Customs.
A news release distributed by the Gatesville Fire Department states that the heavy smoke and fire seemed to stem from the east end of the multi-use one-story building.
The fire department said firefighters had to force their way into the building due to a double locked door and locked garage. Their entrance to the building was also hampered due to a “large number of items inside the building.” Once inside, they discovered “heavy fire conditions,” and that the fire had spread to the west side of the building.
After extinguishing most of the fire, firefighters discovered a deceased male victim in one of the breeched areas of the building, per the release.
Police said in a separate press release that the body was found in an area of the building that was also being used as a residence.
Heritage Salon, which is next door to Coryell County Customs, received minor smoke damage, according to the fire department. Firefighters were able to stop the fire from spreading before it reached the salon’s building.
“Firefighters continued with extinguishment and overhaul of the building until all flames and hot spots had been extinguished,” the fire department’s release said.
Gatesville Police Chief Jeffrey Clark said no other injuries have been reported.
A State Fire Marshal was called to investigate the cause of the fire. Coryell County Justice of Peace Jim Caldwell has also ordered an autopsy of the victim.
As of press time, investigators have not released a cause of the fire or the identification of the deceased victim.
