The witches burned.
The witches’ tree, however, survived the blaze.
Gary Morrow, known to many Tucsonans as “The Wall Guy,” suffered a fire Tuesday evening at his northside home, a popular destination for his annual Halloween displays.
“Now I got to build the real house instead of the fake house,” the 72-year-old Morrow said Tuesday night as he waited for the Red Cross to show up to help him find a place to stay for the night, referring to a haunted house he planned to build.
The fire burned a wall of his north side home along with his decorations and his art and supplies he kept in the yard of his home near North Park Avenue and East Prince Road.
Morrow said he was already working on this year’s Halloween display, which draws hundreds of visitors each year.
The theme: Witches.
Witches were to dangle from a large tree on the south end of his yard.
He was planning to build a haunted house for the witches too, but some of the material for that project was lost in the fire.
Morrow said Tuesday that his annual Halloween display might be canceled this year.
A neighbor called Morrow shortly before 6 p.m. alerting him to a fire in his yard.
Morrow was able to leave his property through the front gate as he watched a tree go up in flames.
The Tucson Fire Department arrived quickly, but the damage was done.
Sculptures and Morrow’s 60-foot train sat next to his home coated in charcoal black, gray and white.
“It’s not hitting me yet until tomorrow when I see everything,” Morrow said Tuesday night.
“They tore up inside the house, they came in there and poked up the ceiling,” he said of firefighters.
The heat from the flames damaged the southern wall and windows, the Fire Department said. Fans were placed inside the home to reduce the smoke damage and the water and electricity were shut down, displacing Morrow temporarily.
Neighbors stopped by to ask Morrow what happened and to make sure he was OK.
A dinosaur sculpture close to his front door was not damaged. Neither was his pirate ship, or most of Morrow’s art on the north half of his yard.
Morrow dusted off tiles with an image of the Virgin Mary on his wall next to his front gate, directing the code enforcement employee to stick a neon green sign on the image to indicate it’s unsafe for anyone to be in the home.
While he’s unsure if he’ll be able to decorate for Halloween this year, he plans to continue the tradition in the future.
Morrow will also accept donations of witches to hang in his tree, in case he’s able to put together a display in time for Halloween.
“It puts a lot of smiles on people’s faces,” Morrow said.
Morrow said the fire won’t stop him from continuing his art.
“I need some help trying to replace my artwork,” Morrow said. “If anybody is interested in helping me do something for my art, it would be appreciated.”
Photos: Gary Morrow "The Wall Guy" suffers fire at his Tucson home
Gary Morrow
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Gary Morrow, known to many Tucsonans as "The Wall Guy," stands in a portion of his yard where a fire broke out Tuesday evening and burned the area where he kept his Halloween and Christmas decorations. As Morrow walked around his yard on August 14, 2019, he said it looked like a war zone.
Gary Morrow
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Gary Morrow, known to many Tucsonans as "The Wall Guy," walks in the background in a portion of his yard where a fire broke out Tuesday evening and burned the area where he kept his Halloween and Christmas decorations. As Morrow walked around his yard on August 14, 2019, he said it looked like a war zone.
Gary Morrow
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A mask that is part of Gary Morrow's spirit tree is left mostly untouched after a fire broke oit in his yard on Tuesday evening destroying his Halloween and Christmas decorations. August 14, 2019
Gary Morrow
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A small statue of a cat was burned in a fire at the home of Gary Morrow, known to many Tucsonans as "The Wall Guy," on Tuesday evening. Morrow was known to have big Halloween and Christmas displays. August 14, 2019
Gary Morrow
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Framed by a metal lizard on his mailbox, retired Tucsonan Gary Morrow sweeps off a walkway, painted to resemble a snake next to his wall early in the day on Wednesday, June 20, 2007 in Tucson, Ariz. The wall, which Morrow has been working on since July 2006, is made to resemble the Catalina mountains with desert critters made from all sorts of goodies, like barbed wire and bolts.
Gary Morrow
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Retired Tucsonan Gary Morrow coats a concrete walkway painted like a snake with a concrete sealer, next to his wall early in the day on Wednesday, June 20, 2007 in Tucson, Ariz.
Gary Morrow
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Retired Tucsonan Gary Morrow's wall in his front yard is fairly detailed--complete with hatching baby rattle snakes in 2007 .
Gary Morrow
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Vietnam Veteran Gary Morrow to shows off an area of his yard he has constructed that the city wants to have him remove on Monday, March12, 2012, in Tucson, Ariz.
Gary Morrow
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The city is asking Vietnam Veteran Gary Morrow to bring the wall surrounding his home up to code on Monday, March12, 2012, in Tucson, Ariz. He is asking for a variance on the outside wall that is higher than six feet and the interior structures which are also out of code. He has used recycled materials including water bottles plus chicken wire and stucco.
Gary Morrow
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This is a monument to St Francis created by Vietnam Veteran Gary Morrow on his exterior wall that the city wants to bring up to code on Monday, March12, 2012, in Tucson, Ariz.
Gary Morrow
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A pirate ship, built from a variety of second-hand items, is the seasonal Halloween addition to the ever evolving art-wall surrounding the home of Gary Morrow in 2007.
Gary Morrow
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Gary Morrow's wall, a mixture of art and barrier, draws a lot of long and second looks from passersby in northern, Tucson, AZ., Mon., July 29, 2008.
Gary Morrow
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Gary Morrow adds rocks to the ground cover on the southern corner of the wall he's building around his home in northern Tucson, AZ., Mon., July 29, 2008.
Gary Morrow
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A representation of the St. Francis holds sway over the south west corner outside Gary Morrow's home as neighbor and painter Bill Galbreath heads in to do some touch-up work on the wall in north Tucson, AZ., Mon., July 29, 2008.
