Mother, son die in Lake Worth fire

by Janet St. James at KHOU News from WFAA News, Houston
A mother and her three-year-old son died in a fire at their trailer home Friday afternoon in Lake Worth, which is just northwest of Fort Worth. The mother, her son and the mother’s boyfriend were all inside the trailerwhen it caught fire.

Jessica Rogers, the mother’s sister, said she was just yards away when she spotted the flames.

“We were in the house,” she said. “My mother told me to call 911, and by the time I looked out the window, the whole trailer was engulfed in flames.”

She watched as her sister’s boyfriend escaped the trailer and struggled in vain to rescue the two trapped inside. The boyfriend had been in the bedroom, which was the only area of the house that wasn’t completely destroyed in the fire, when the fire started.

“It looks like it was a situation to where because of where the fire was located in the living room, the mother and son were unable to get out,” said Randy Renois, Tarrant County Fire Marshal. “There was a tremendous amount of heat.”

The sole survivor was taken to the hospital with burns to his hand and face. He is expected to recover.

Investigators said they suspect the fire started accidentally at the center of the trailer near the living room couch, perhaps from a burning ember from a cigarette. The trailer was home for six people, including the victims.