Teen helps family narrowly escape devastating SW Houston fire

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- A family in Southwest Houston says they've lost everything, but are thankful for the quick-thinking of their teenage son which saved their lives.

The fire ripped through a home in the 5700 block of Newquay Street at Abide Drive around 2:30am.

Jonathan Beasley heard a loud bang and smelled smoke. He began banging on his family's doors to wake them.

"I told them grab what you can but it was too late, the house was already flamed up," said Jonathan.

His mother, Florence Beasley, said the fire was already eating up their home when she woke, "When I woke up and saw his room, I saw the red coming in the wall. I grabbed my granddaughter, I told my family -- just get out the house, get out the house, what else could we do?"

Heavy flames from the garage destroyed the one-story home, but all eight people inside, including Florence, her husband, two daughters and son, one of the daughter's boyfriends and two grandchildren ages 1 and eight months old, made it out safely.

Florence said, "If it wasn't for my son waking us up, we probably would have died inside the house."

Charon Beasley said, "We lost a lot of stuff. It burned my brother's entire room, everything's burned."

Charon is a senior graduating Madison HS. She spent the morning taking what's left of her belongings from the house, including a prom dress she hadn't had the chance to wear yet.

"It was in my closet, and it was in a wrapper, and it got destroyed with the silk and the smoke," she said.

Within minutes of the story airing on ABC13 Eyewitness News at 11am, a viewer had already come forward offering to donate a prom dress to Charon.

The cause of the fire is under investigation, but appears to have started in the garage.