It happened around 2:30 a.m. Saturday at a home on Hampton Terrace near Gosling.
The son told fire marshals he woke up to flames and smoke and tried to get to his mom, but was overcome by the smoke and had to run out.
The fire had to be contained from the back of the home because the flames proved to be too intense to enter through the front of the residence, according to fire marshals.
The Harris County Fire Marshal's Office is investigating what might have caused the fire.