Miriam Ortiz showed up at the home in the Ladera Creek Subdivision in Conroe, where officials say her loved one and eight others were working.
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Two people died, including a man identified as Angel Huerta. Seven others were taken to the hospital with injuries. One remains hospitalized and the rest have since been released, according to the Conroe Fire Department.
Ortiz said Huerta, who was her common-law husband, had been doing construction work since he was 16 years old. She went through the debris, searching for the spot where he spent his final moments.
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"I took pictures. I got his crutches, and his shoes right where they were at," Ortiz said. "I just made a cross right there, and that's where he took his last breath."
Huerta hurt his foot working on the job in December, which is why he had crutches, according to Ortiz.
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The family identified the other man killed as Brayan Rubi Lopez Aguilar, a 21-year-old man living in Humble who came from Honduras for a better life.
Representatives with the home builder, Lennar Homes, were at the site on Tuesday, but haven't returned calls made by ABC13 regarding the incident.
Ortiz says she hasn't heard from them either. She said she is focused though on funeral arrangements and honoring the man who says helped raise her kids.
"He was loved by many, many people," Ortiz said. "He was a very special person to a lot of people. "He always had a smile and wanted to do something for someone and invite someone to go out fishing, and swimming, he wanted to be out."
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