Couple dies in northeast Houston house fire

HOUSTON The fire broke out at the home on Kenton near Bacher just before 5am. Fire investigators were on the scene for hours trying to find out what caused the deadly blaze in the Settagast neighborhood. It took the lives of two people, one of them identified by family as Dorothy Moore, grandmother to Joseph Moore.

"She liked to cook and be with her family, play with her little grandkids," Joseph said.

He is at a genuine loss, and can't even speculate as to what caused this fire. The Houston Fire Department won't say much either, wanting to do a thorough investigation into the cause of the fire and cause of death for the individuals. The second victim has been identified by neighbors and family as Eddie Manuel.

"He was a nice person, do odds and ends around the neighborhood, cut yards and stuff. A real nice person," said neighbor Kareen Brooks.

When firefighters arrived at the home in the early hours of this morning, they faced a difficult task. There were heavy flames with portions of the home boarded up, a lot of possessions piled up and a live power line on the property, all making a rescue attempt nearly impossible until they could beat back the flames.

The two victims were found in the back of the house. It seems they were trying to escape the fire.

"We have to make a document of where the bodies were found -- what was the probable cause," said HFD District Chief Rick Flanagan. "There are so many intricate pieces we have to put together in the investigation."

That's all HFD is saying for now, but Joseph Moore knows enough to know this just isn't right.

"Natural causes I can understand, but this, no," he said.

Arson investigators are on the scene. The cause of the fire is under investigation.

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