On Wednesday, multiple crews with the Cy-Fair Fire Department responded to a call of a house fire in the 5000 block of Walnut Cove Drive, in the Deerfield subdivision.
By the time crews arrived, the flames had spread to a second home - which belongs to Brian Wall and his wife.
Speaking with ABC13, Wall said he was headed back from a memorial service when he received multiple calls, including one from his frantic wife.
"I got a call from my wife, and she was hysterical. She was saying, 'The house is on fire.' My daughter called too, and she said, 'House is on fire. I'm calling 911,'" Wall recalled.
Wall said he raced home as soon as he received the calls and was driving along the Grand Parkway when he saw the plume of smoke.
"I was shocked; it was bigger than I thought it was," he said. "I could see from 99 the smoke, and thought 'Oh my God, that's my house burning.'"
Wall said they've lived in that house for 15 years, and by the time he arrived, he saw it completely up in flames.
Despite it being deemed a total loss, Wall kept a positive outlook, saying they feel lucky in a sense and "it could've been worse."
"Stuff can be replaced," he added. "It's still shocking; you never think it's going to happen to you, till it does."
Fire crews said Wall's wife was in the attic at the time of the fire, as she had air-conditioning technicians working up there. They said she came out with a fire extinguisher, and her priority was getting the technicians out of the home with the family's two dogs.
"She did what she needed to do. I'm real proud of her," Wall said.
Among the items recovered from the fire was an American flag that Wall said his son received from a Congressman from the Capitol, as well as a firebox with family keepsakes.
After this, Wall said he and his wife will stay with a loved one to figure out the next steps.