House fire leaves man in critical condition and kills two pets

Jeff Ehling Image
Tuesday, January 23, 2018
Friendswood fire
A man in his 20s is in critical condition following a fire inside a Friendswood home.

FRIENDSWOOD, Texas (KTRK) -- A Friendswood man remains in critical condition after a house fire in Friendswood.

The fire started just after 10:30 p.m. at the home on Pleasant Plains Drive in the Forest Bend neighborhood.

There were five people in the home where the fire started. A woman and three young children made it out safely but neighbors say one man was severely burned on his face and chest.

"I could see the flames coming from in back of the house," said neighbor Doug Moore.

Moore lives across the street from the house that burned. He saw the victim being treated by emergency workers.

"He looked like he was in pretty bad shape," said Moore.

That victim remains in the hospital in critical condition.

Neighbors found him on the front lawn and helped move him across the street and out of harms way. He was unable to speak due to his injuries.

Eyewitness News reporter Jeff Ehling provides perspective from the scene of a house fire near Friendswood.

"Fire started in the rear of the structure, other than that, Harris County Fire Marshall is still investigating the cause and exact origin, but it is in the rear bedroom of the structure," said Chief Tom Hoff with the Forest Bend Fire Department.

Firefighters say two family pets, a dog and a bird, did not survive the fire.

The flames almost spread to a home next door.

"They were pretty high, and looked like they were about to go to the next door neighbor's house but the fire department was able to put it out," said Moore.

Now arson investigators are trying to figure out how the fire started.

They know it began in a back bedroom but there is extensive damage throughout the house.

Follow Jeff Ehling on Twitter and Facebook.