HOUSTON – The Houston fire department is investigating a deadly house fire that happened in southeast Houston Saturday afternoon.
The blaze started at about 1 p.m. at a home located in the 6500 block of Thrush Drive.
Family members identified the victim as 63-year-old Wayne West.
“It’s unbelievable to me right now,” his daughter Lashavia West said. “You don’t wake up and think someone from your family is burnt in a house fire.”
West said her father lived in the area for years and was known as the neighborhood mechanic.
“He loved the people around here, they loved him back the same,” West said.
The cause of the fire is under investigation, but the family believes they know what may have happened.
“We do know that he did receive a space heater from a friend prior to this,” his daughter added. “Because, like I said, it’s a tight-knit community. That’s what we think could possibly be the issue.”