Beyoncé‘s childhood home in Houston was subject to a fire early Christmas morning, according to multiple local news reports. During the early hours of Monday morning, the Houston Fire Department responded swiftly to a fire in the city’s Third Ward after receiving a call from a resident at approximately 2 a.m. regarding a fire at a residence on Rosedale Street.
On arrival, firefighter personnel from the Houston Fire Department found the second story of the building engulfed in flames, ABC13 in Houston reported. It took firefighters three to five minutes to arrive at the two-story brick house in Houston, Texas, according to the Houston Chronicle.
Video of Beyoncé’s childhood home caught on fire.pic.twitter.com/WLwdlxGh5F
— Juice Pop (@TheJuicePop) December 25, 2023
By 2:48 a.m., the fire had been fully extinguished by the firefighters. “We had it contained in about 10 minutes,” District Chief Justin Barnes stated, emphasizing how efficient the response had been in preventing further damage to the historic building, which had been affected by the fire.
Investigations are currently being conducted to determine what caused the fire. The home’s current occupants are a couple with two small children, according to FOX 26 Houston. Before first responders arrived, the residents evacuated the house, and no injuries were reported to civilians or firefighters, officials told Entertainment Weekly.
In 1982, Beyoncé’s family bought the house, and the GRAMMY-winning artist lived there until she was five years old. Originally built in 1946, the residence is a two-story brick house that was remodeled in 2016.
A realtor listed Beyoncé’s childhood home for sale several years ago, noting it was her “early childhood home.” In May 2019, the house was purchased for between $420,001 and $482,000.
The record-breaking singer is known for her incredible voice, but she has stayed close to her roots in Houston throughout the years. She joined her mother, Tina Knowles, in setting up mobile COVID-19 testing sites in her hometown during the early months of the pandemic, which was made possible by her BeyGOOD initiative.
With the launch of the #IDIDMYPART campaign, she stepped up her efforts to combat the pandemic by encouraging black communities to prioritize health while providing free access to COVID-19 screenings to fight the outbreak.
Beyoncé’s documentary Renaissance: A Film by Beyoncé showcases the singer’s concert tour across the globe and highlights one of the stops along the way: a visit to Houston, where she visits her old house, which was also featured in her early home videos. Currently, Beyoncé is in Brazil, where she surprised fans at the premiere of her film. As of yet, Beyoncé has not commented on the incident.