Early morning blaze claims life in Willis

By Brad Meyer in The Conroe Courier News
A Willis man is dead and his wife is suffering from smoke inhalation after a two-alarm fire destroyed their home and caused significant damage to a neighbor’s home early Friday morning. Firefighters from Willis, Lake Conroe, Montgomery and New Waverly responded to a blaze in the 13500 block of North Lee Shore Drive in the Shadow Bay subdivision on Lake Conroe around 1:30 a.m., according to Scott Burlin, Montgomery County assistant fire marshal.

Dr. Bernard Maslovitz, 57, an optometrist at JC Penny Optical in The Woodlands Mall, perished in the fire. His wife Avis Maslovitz was transported to Conroe Regional Medical Center, where she is employed, for smoke inhalation. She is expected to make a full recovery, according to a release issued by Burlin.

Marilyn Bauer, homeowners association president, said Maslovitz was semiretired, working part-time as an optometrist so he could enjoy his waterfront home on Lake Conroe. She said his wife is employed as a dietitian at CRMC.

“Mrs. Maslovitz said she was awakened by a smoke alarm in the home,” Burlin said. “That’s probably what saved her life.”

Neighbors Joe and Linda Old said the early morning blaze spread quickly, engulfing the home and causing damage to the adjoining home owned by Paul and Debra Shinsky, who were in Houston when the fire broke out.

“We were called shortly after 1:30 a.m. and got here around 3 a.m.,” Debra Shinsky said. “The heat must have been intense because the side of our house is charred.”

Shinsky credits firefighters with saving their house by breaking in and putting out a fire that had started on their home’s roof. The ceiling fan blades and plastic shades facing the fire that engulfed the Maslovitz home are all melted and the home’s decking and walls had significant damage as well.

“We were very lucky,” Paul Shinsky said. “If it weren’t for the quick action of the firefighters, our home would have gone up too.”

The cause of the fatal fire remains under investigation by the Montgomery County Fire Marshal’s Office, Burlin said.