Carlton Woods home burns, declared a 'total loss'

THE WOODLANDS, Texas –– A mansion in Carlton Woods that was still under construction has been left mostly a smoldering wreck after a fire gutted it Monday night.

The faux Spanish-style home at 7 Lamerie Way caught fire at about 11 p.m., Monday prompting about 35 Woodlands and Magnolia firefighters to fight the blaze for roughly two hours.

No one was living inside the home yet, said Chief Wayne Walker with the Woodlands Fire Department. A neighbor told firefighters he smelled what seemed like burning plastic at about 9 p.m. Shortly before 11 p.m., neighbors saw reflections in their windows that turned out to be fire inside the burning 12,000 square foot home.

When firefighters arrived the home was largely engulfed by flames and they had to fight it almost entirely from the outside, Walker said.

No firefighters were hurt.

The home's large, clay roof tiles dispersed much of the water that firefighters sprayed on the roof, making it more difficult to put out the blaze, Walker said. As of Tuesday morning it was not clear if the owner had been notified, but the house is a “complete loss” and will likely be demolished, Walker said.

The Montgomery County Fire Marshal was investigating the cause of the fire Tuesday.