‘The whole house is a total loss’: Houston family displaced after cooking mishap causes fire, officials say

Just after Thanksgiving, a Houston family of five was forced to flee their home after it was destroyed in an early morning fire, officials with the Houston Fire Department said.

The fire sparked just before 3 a.m. on Friday in the kitchen of a home on Southwind Street and Forrestal Street in southeast Houston, according to authorities.

Investigators said the mother had been cooking and forgot about it. Later, she saw the flames and got everyone out of the house.

When fire crews arrived, heavy flames were coming from the back of the house and there was a lot of smoke present, HFD District Chief James Watson said.

“The whole house is a total loss,” Watson said.

Watson said Red Cross is providing assistance to the family.