HOUSTON – An elderly woman and her son were killed in a house fire early Tuesday morning in southwest Houston, according to the Houston Fire Department.
Flames broke out around 4 a.m. at a home in the 4800 block of Tidewater in southwest Houston.
Burglar bars and several items in the home made it hard for firefighters to battle the flames, officials said.
Firefighters said they eventually find the mother by the front door and the son was later found inside the home.
“She was trying to escape. She was found in the front hallway trying to get out through the front door when they dragged her out,” said HFD Deputy Fire Chief Roger Westhoff.
Both were pronounced dead, officials said.
Neighbors told KPRC 2 they are all so saddened by the loss. The mother and son were identified by a neighbor as Ella and Cliff.
“She was a very nice lady. He was just a nice guy he helped me when I was down,” said neighbor Francisco Sotuyo.
Sotuyo said he’s known the mother and son his whole life and how they have always helped him and his family any time they asked for it.
“If I needed some change to go get some food or bus fare they would always give it to me,” Sotuyo said. “I’ve been knowing them my whole life basically, so if I needed something she needed me to store I would just knock I would go.”
He said the son was going to turn 60 years old in two days.
Fire officials said the cause of the fire is still under investigation.