Lancaster fire
LANCASTER — One person was killed and two others were hospitalized Saturday morning after a fire consumed a Lancaster home in the 4300 block of Percy Street.
“On arrival there was a lot of clutter around the house, and it made it difficult for us to get the fire knocked down," said Lancaster Fire Chief Thomas Griffith.
A man and a woman who had been in the house were taken to Parkland Hospital in Dallas with burn injuries. Chief Griffith said they were in good condition. Neighbors said the deceased was a family friend.
"It was fully involved on arrival, so there was no ability to save anyone who was inside," the chief said.
Investigators are looking into whether the freezing temperatures overnight contributed to the fire’s cause. Neighbors said the couple sometimes slept in their car and that power had been cut off to the small two-bedroom home months ago.
"They were generating heat somehow, Griffith said, adding that the house had caught fire before, as recently as November.
"They had one [a fire] in the back of the house. It wasn’t very big, but they caught the kitchen on fire," said Nikki Reyna, who has lived next to the family for years. "It's just sad how it’s gone right now."
This is the fourth fatal house fire in North Texas this week. In all, seven people have been killed in the unrelated blazes.
E-mail jbetz@wfaa.com
