Dallas

Dallas Houses Damaged After Worker Sets Fire to Wasp Nest: Officials

A fire that spread to two homes Tuesday morning in Dallas began after someone set fire to a wasp nest, investigators say.[[317806771,C]]

The fire was reported in the 3200 block of Regent Drive at about 9 a.m., Dallas firefighters said.

Authorities said the fire began when a worker at a home under renovation found a wasp nest in an adjoining storage shed and decided to burn it with a heat source and flammable liquid.

He thought the fire was completely extinguished, but it later rekindled and caught the shed on fire as well as the home that was under construction, causing extensive damage to both, officials said.

There were 10 workers at the home at the time, and all safely evacuated.

The flames also engulfed a fence and spread to a neighboring house, where firefighters were able to contain the damage to part of the attic.

Nobody was home in the neighboring house, but firefighters said a cat was rescued and reunited with its owner.

Fire investigators estimated the damage to the home under construction at about $250,000 and damage to the neighboring home at about $50,000.

NBC 5's Josh Ault contributed to this report.

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