THE ELDERLY AND THE YOUNG ARE THE MOST FREQUENT VICTIMS OF HOUSE FIRES: AN ELDERLY PERSON DIES IN A MOBILE HOME FIRE IN WILLIS, TEXAS. NO WORKING SMOKE DETECTORS WERE FOUND IN THE HOME, IN VIOLATION OF TEXAS PROPERTY CODE
February 9, 2015
WILLIS, TEXAS
A dead body was found Monday after firefighters and police
responded to a house fire in Willis.
The identity of the man found in the home after the fire was
contained has not been confirmed by police officials, but Montgomery County
Fire Marshal Jimmy Williams said it is believed to be an elderly man who lived
alone at the residence.
Precinct 1 Justice of the Peace Wayne Mack has ordered an
autopsy report.
The mobile home in the 200 block of Trice Street was
engulfed in flames about 11 a.m., when North Montgomery County firefighters
rushed to the scene.
Willis police and the Montgomery County Fire Marshal's
Office are conducting an investigation.
“It took them a while to knock down the fire before they
found the victim,” Williams said. “We don’t have a positive ID yet, but we
believe it to be the elderly resident of the mobile home. We’re still early on
in the investigation. We don’t have any details on the cause of the fire.
“Once we have preliminary autopsy, we’ll know whether (the
cause of death) was smoke inhalation or something else. We should know more
details (early Tuesday morning).”
Neighbors reported that an elderly male had lived alone in
the home for several years. Neighbors also reported that they did not believe
the home had working smoke detectors.
The preliminary investigation reveals that the fire
originated in the bedroom where the victim was found and investigators have not
been able to locate any evidence that the home was equipped with working smoke
detectors.
The Texas Property Code requires that landlords provide
working smoke detectors in each bedroom and in the hallways adjacent to a
home’s bedrooms.
Tenants are then responsible for testing the detectors and
maintaining their batteries and notifying the landlord if they are missing or
do not work.