Macky Ward searches through the rubble of his home today (Friday, Aug. 8), trying to salvage some possessions, after a fire destroyed the Port Aransas house. (South Jetty staff photo © 2026 by Dan Parker.)
Close friends and relatives are meeting with brothers Macky and Mat Ward today (Friday, Aug. 7) to help them begin a road to recovery after the Wards’ Port Aransas home was heavily damaged by fire last night.
The Wards’ first cousin, Clare Adams, of Port Aransas, said that community members who want to help should contact her so that assistance efforts can be coordinated. Port Aransas resident Tesha Ogle is helping.
Adams can be reached at (361) 331-8243 or clareporta67@gmail.com. Ogle can be reached at (361) 434-4855 or tesha@cbporta.com.
Adams said she expects a fundraiser to be organized at some point, but efforts toward that end are just now beginning, so no details about what form such an event might take have been decided. No date or location has been decided.
She said an announcement will be coming as soon as possible.
The fire rendered the 807 S. Station St. house uninhabitable, but the Wards have found temporary lodging.
Macky Ward said the cause of the blaze hasn’t been determined.
Neither one of the Wards were home when the fire started late last night. Firefighters beat back the blaze until flames no longer were visible, but the fire reignited later that night, and firefighters responded again to knock it down a second time.
The house was built nearly 100 years ago by Gail Borden Munsill, a founding father of Port Aransas. In 2024, the Port Aransas Preservation and Historical Association (PAPHA) recognized the house with a Historic Property Award.
The Wards are part of the Mathews family, a family that goes back many generations in Port Aransas. Mathews Pavilion, at Old Town Square, was named after the family.
(South Jetty staff photo © 2026 by Dan Parker.)