‘Many memories gone’: Family remembers house that burned down in Robinson

ROBINSON, Texas (KWTX) – A once white house is now a far cry from the black ash left behind.

Homeowner Denise Dillahunty is still mourning the loss of her former home’s lasting legacy.

“Just a lot of memories gone,” she said when asked what she thought when she saw the house on fire.

Dillahunty moved into the Robinson house in 1984. There he raised his two older children and eventually a third child. In 2017, Dillahunty and his family turned the house into a rental and moved next door.

Then, on September 16, after the tenants did not turn off the stove in the wooden porch one night, most of the interior burned and the fire spread quickly.

Within these walls, Dillahunt remembers Christmases, smiling and exchanging hugs with her three children.

“I think the biggest thing for me is that I’m coming home from Iraq,” said Dillahunt’s oldest son, Dwayne Fauver. “I was starting my life over and she fixed me up a room and that’s where I started again.”

Now Dillahunty doesn’t know where he’s going to get the money to demolish the house. He spent the last few weeks preserving the memories in this house, such as the historic doors.

“We’ve had some good times and some bad times,” Dillahunty said. “It was mostly just me and the kids. I don’t even know what to say and where to start.”

The Robinson Volunteer Fire Department said closing bedroom doors made the difference between life and death here.

The family that lived in the house was able to safely escape through the bedroom windows before the fire spread throughout the rooms.

To donate to help Dillahunty and his family, visit the donation drive Facebook.

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