An early morning house fire in East Lubbock claimed the life of one person, seriously injured another and left seven adults displaced.
The fire was reported around 1:30 a.m. in the 2600 block of Fir Avenue.
According to Lubbock Fire Rescue, crews arrived on the scene to find the home on fire. Crews then started an interior search and attack.
Two victims were located and extricated from the structure. Both were transported to the hospital.
One of the fire victims. 46-year-old Charles Knox, was pronounced deceased at the University Medical Center emergency room.
The second victim was transferred to the University Medical Center Burn Unit with approximately 6% of their body burned, smoke inhalation and lacerations from an attempted self-rescue through a broken window.
The Fire Marshal’s Office was called to the scene to investigate.
“The fire is classified as accidental and the exact cause of the fire is still under investigation. Residents in the area reported a very loud thunder-clap approximately 5 minutes prior to discovery of the fire. A tree in the front yard of the property exhibited signs consistent with that of a lightning strike, but due to ongoing rain and lightning weather conditions, we were unable to gain access to the roof to determine if lighting struck the structure in any areas,” the Fire Marshal’s Office said.
Approximately 60% of the residence suffered fire damage while the entire structure suffered smoke and heat damage. Seven adults were displaced from the home and Red Cross responded to assist, LFR said.
