Man in his 20s battling cancer and his mother killed in fire

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- A son battling cancer and a mother who was his primary caregiver are both dead after a house fire in northwest Harris County.

It happened on Pepper Knoll Drive early Monday morning.

There were three people inside the home when the fire broke out. One of them was a man in his 20s who was bedridden due to his fight against Hodgkin's lymphoma.

Both he and his mother who took care of him died in the fire. The other person who lived here, that young man's father, made it out with the help of a neighbor.

"I was just praying to God they weren't there," said Spencer Stanford.

Stanford's security camera captured the first moments flames emerged from his neighbors' home.

Within minutes the side of the house was engulfed in flames.

Stanford tried to use a small fire extinguisher to fight the fire but extreme heat kept him out of the home and left him with no way to reach a woman and her son trapped inside.

He helped get the lone survivor away from the flames.

"He didn't want to move. I don't know if it was shell shock or what, but he was not really kind of responsive," said Stanford.

Friend talks about mother and son who died in fire.

A friend of the young man who was killed said he tried to provide comfort to his friend who had gone through so much at such an early age.

"I am kind of numb right now. That was my best friend, but uh, he doesn't have to suffer any more," said C.J. Rogers.

Rogers shared a picture of him and his friend. He says his friend, on the left, had beaten cancer years ago but it returned and left the victim unable to walk.

"I'm just glad he doesn't have to suffer, because as his best friend it is difficult to stay strong for someone in that condition. There have been multiple times I'd go home and cry myself because I just couldn't imagine. That is like my brother," said Rogers.

Firefighters say the mother and her son were found on the first floor.

Fire chief provides details from the scene of the investigation.

Investigators say the father also has health issues and may have been unable to save his family.

He is said to be distraught over losing his wife and son.

Another neighbor tried to use a water hose to fight the flames but the fire was too intense and spread too quickly.

The Fire Marshal has not yet determined how the fire began.

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