Complex sentence: At Houston Street, it was still being stopped on the east by Boulevard (just sparing John Wesley Dobbs' block), but when the fire reached Highland it raced both east and west through many fine homes.
Split into simpler sentences: At Houston Street, the fire was still being stopped on the east by Boulevard (just sparing John Wesley Dobbs' block). When the fire reached Highland, it raced both east and west through many fine homes.